Bending the ways of Fate
by Manika-on-a-whim
Summary: She is nothing more than an offering..a present gifted to them by their neighbouring country in order to maintain the peace between the two nations. Nothing more...So then..why is the second prince of Clarines feeling so entranced by his concubine? Read on... *Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Edited on: 18/03/17**

 **Posted on: 17/03/17**

 **A/N: I know...I'm already working on another fic for this series but this idea suddenly popped in my head and I decided to write it down. This fic is not going to all goody goody. It'll be kinda dark. Don't forget to leave a review after you read it...:3**

 **ENJOY!**

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 **Summary**

 **She is nothing more than an offering..a present gifted to them by their neighbouring country in order to maintain the peace between the two nations. Nothing more...So then..why is the second prince of Clarines feeling so entranced by his concubine?**

 **By the conspiracy of fate, a young girl chained-down by the values of her society collides with a young man constrained by the duties that come with his status.**

 **In the midst of judging each-other on misconceptions and then accepting their differences, they develop a bond more than that of friendship. Read on...**

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 **Chapter 1: Captured**

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As the bright rays of sunlight fell upon the shining emeralds of a beautiful red-haired lass, she smiled at the sky, losing herselves in the expanse of the endless blue. Every single day, she begins her job of preparing herbal medicines only after taking a peek at the sky. It shows her something that she has been striving for ever since her childhood— Freedom. She wants to become someone just as free as the sky, always being able to travel or stay anywhere she likes..anytime she likes...Too bad though, the world she has been born in, will never allow such trivial dreams to be fulfilled...

"My oh my! Just look at you..You've grown into a fine woman..Happy Birthday, Shirayuki." An old, grey-haired acquaintance named Kino wished her.

The girl gasped and looked up from her stack of medicines towards the old lady, "Uh...Oh! Oh no!" Her eyes widened when the words uttered by the lady actually settled in her head and she realised that today is the day that she was born on, "I totally forgot that it's my birthday!" She bowed her head apologetically at the older woman, her red tresses cascading down her shoulders in a disarray, "Thank you, Kino-san."

The woman smiled politely at the young girl, "It's nothing.."

As Shirayuki pulled open a drawer and rummaged through it in search of some cardamom, the old lady wiped two small tears from her aged eyes and spoke again, "Ah! Feels like it was only yesterday when you came into this city to live with your grandparents."

Shirayuki couldn't help herself from smiling at the memory for it is the only good thing that has ever happened in her life. She recalled snippets of how she had met Kino in this city when her grandparents introduced her. If she hadn't moved in with her grandparents then she wouldn't have been able to study medicine and become an herbalist. She is glad that she is here in this city...

There isn't much known to her about her family. Once when she was 6 and her grandparents were still alive and well, she asked them about her parents and came to learn that she was born in a village at the top of a mountain. Her mother had died during her birth and so, her father took her down the mountains and dumped her into the arms of her loving grandparents. It's not much of a surprise that her father didn't want to keep her. Afterall..she _is_ a girl and women hardly matter in this world dominated by the male society. Not many women are allowed even the freedom that she is enjoying. The only acknowledgement that this society gives to a woman is that of a baby-maker. Men want women merely for their own luxuries and desires. A female has no right over her life. They are not even allowed to choose any paths for themselves. Heck! Even the citizens of this city talk behind her back about how much they are disgusted by her, a girl being an herbalist. The only thing that they want a girl to do is cook, clean and serve...

"Oh my!" Kino gasped, breaking her train of thoughts. "I think I may have left the stove on. I'll go check and return in a moment." The old lady rushed out of the shop in the direction of her small hut.

The young girl giggled at the woman's short-term memory and shook her head. She went over to the shelves in her shop and selected the minimum required ingredients to prepare a week long dosage of salve for backpains. Just as she initiated it's preparation, the door to her shop creaked open and the girl giggled again, thinking that her old friend has returned too soon.

She looked up from her grinding tools as she spoke, "Did you forget something?"

But as her green irises roved-up and found no old woman at the threshold of the shop, they widened. Instead of Kino, there stood a middle-aged man, dressed up in a sturdy armour. His slanted eyes studied her from the top to the bottom and he nodded to himself in approval. With his left hand permanently secured around the hilt of his sword, he stepped forward, inching closer to her and as he reached a distance close enough, he smiled an eerie smile at her, making chills run down her spine.

"Is..Is there something you need, Sir?" She asked shakily, skidding back and bumping into the table.

"Yes indeed, young lady. By the order of the of the First Prince of Tanbarun, I have come over to fetch you." He answered with a quick yet elegant bow.

Something about the man's words made her slightly uneasy and she asked, "W-Wh-Whattt?"

He sighed, "Prince Raji Shenezard has requested your immediate presence at the castle."

" Why?!" She asked, her voice raising rather loud for that of a lady.

"You see miss, you are to become a concubine." He stated the news as if he was making remarks about the weather.

For a brief moment, Shirayuki remained rooted to her spot, staring with disbelief at the man and then shook her head. This is utterly outrageous! How can a man just barge into her shop and ask her to present herself to a prince and become a concubine? Nobody asks for such things out of the blue. Nobody..except ofcourse people of remarkably high social standings. These royalties always use their powers for wrongdoings, never putting them to use for the benefit of their kingdom. All they want is a luxurious lifestyle for their own self. What happens to their citizens doesn't really matter. And this is why she hates all these men. They always rule the country for their personal agendas and give out the orders on a whim. No! She will not have any part in their stupid musings.

"Tell the Prince that I'm sorry..that I cannot become a concubine. That he is free to pick any other girl from the vast amount of beautiful ladies around this city." She told the soldier as confidently as she could.

The man however wasn't pleased by her response and moved even closer, "In that case, I have no choice but to force you."

At the man's threat, Shirayuki shivered and in the midst of her panic and rush of adrenaline, she picked up the rolling pin from the table and launched it at him. It hit the guy slightly on the side of his head and he groaned. Noticing his pained expression, she picked up every utensil and tool that her hands could reach out to and threw them at the man, one after the other in quick succession. With his well-trained reflexes though, the man was able to dodge most of the objects flung at him and he charged ahead, bringing his arms out to capture her. She sidestepped from the table and threw a knife at him that she had managed to pick-up during the haste. It stuck the man's right shoulder and made him hiss but unfortunately, the wound wasn't deep enough to desist his movements. Damn! She should've aimed for his legs. The man lunged at her and she took quick steps backwards, bumping into the shelves of medicinal vials and potions.

"You know..taking such independent actions is very unbecoming of a young woman like yourself." He spat, finally being able to corner her.

She flinched when he placed his arms at her sides, capturing her between himselves and the shelf but didn't stop her mouth from firing back, "..and barging into a woman's house to take her by force is also very unbecoming of a Knight like yourself."

He glared at her for the comment she made but then decided to ignore her and looked around the place in scrutiny, "I hate this." He muttered, staring at the different variety of herbs and potions laid out in the shop and his eyes narrowed, "I hate it when you woman try to work on your own in order to outshine us men. Heh! Women are supposed to keep their mouths shut and serve us. They.."

Shirayuki zoned-out his words completely and focused more on utilising this moment of distraction to her advantage and escape. She took a deep breath to calm herself and mustering all the strength she could in her arms, she shoved the guy off of herself. He stopped his rant about women and stood shocked for an instance, then tried catching her by her wrist but the girl had already run out of his reach.

Relief washed over her form as Shirayuki bounced out of her shop and took a right turn to run as far away from that knight as possible. Sadly though, before she could even make a move, she was halted by another man dressed in the royal garbs. He stretched out his limbs, blocking her path and when she whirled around to the left, she found the slant-eyed guy already standing in her way, tightly clutching at his now painful shoulder where she had managed to hit him with a knife. The man smirked victoriously at her wide eyes and she shakily stepped back, bumping into the chest of the other man. The guy immediately took hold of her wrists and twisted them behind her back to restrain her movements. The next instant, she found herself being hurled inside a carriage that she had failed to notice before. The doors were quickly locked from the outside by the knight but Shirayuki didn't back down. She began slamming her hands on the doors, willing them to open-up magically. The man smirked triumphantly at her from the window in the carriage and then left her to take his seat atop a horse that supposedly belonged to him.

After mumbling a few things to the other man, he rode-off. The other person, probably the valet of this carriage came over and sat down on the outer berth. The sound of whips striking the skin of the horses reached Shirayuki's ears and the carriage was finally set into motion.

She glared at the small, circular window as if blaming it for everything that has occurred right now but at that very instant, her eyes caught something that will be etched in the worst of her memories for the rest of her life. Her acquaintance Kino was standing in the alleyway next to her herbal shop. So then..all throughout this time she had been watching the whole incident and yet she didn't even try to help? It's a fact that her old form wouldn't have stood a chance against two fully-grown men but still..why didn't she?! She should've atleast tried!

And in that one moment, her beryl shade of emeralds met with those pale, withered irises of the old woman. She looked indifferently at Shirayuki, as if the girl was some stranger to her and then left. Left without any hints of sorrow or apology in her eyes. That one incident made her realise something: in this self-centred society, trusting someone can become your biggest weakness. There are men who help men and sometimes men who even help women but never..never has she witnessed a woman helping another. Females are always like this..doing things for their own benefits. Never being generous enough to help another of their kind.

Although Kino's betrayal left Shirayuki hopeless, her struggle was far from over. She didn't stop from trying to escape. All the way from the busy streets to the regal castle, her screeches of protests mixed with her shock of having been betrayed, could be heard loud and clear...

.

.

On arriving at the Shenezard Castle, she was yanked out of the carriage and dragged all the way up the stairs against her will. She tried releasing her wrist from the iron grip of the slant-eyed knight but to no avail. He was far stronger compared to her. Above the stairs, she was dragged along endless different corridors until finally they stopped before a huge door, inside which she was tossed unceremoniously.

She yelped in pain at the sudden impact with the carpeted yet hard floor. There was shuffling of feet and when she tilted her gaze upwards, she saw a leisurely lying man stand up from his comfortable perch on his plush couch. He passed a hand through his wavy, brown hair as he walked down the stairs and stood right before her so as his feet were nearly touching her face.

"Hair as red as that of an apple, huh?" He commented eyeing her from the head to toe, "You must be that famous beauty these civilians keep gossiping about."

Shirayuki couldn't utter any answer to his wry words as she was too busy coughing her lungs out. The maltreatment that she has received is taking a toll on her body. The young man wasn't really waiting for any responses either as he bent his knees and bowed before her, posing in a weirdly aristocratic manner.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Raji Shenezard, the first Prince of the Kingdom of Tanbarun." He spoke cockily, a glint in his deep, forest-green irises.

The girl bade no response to the young monarch and for doing so, she received a harsh kick in her abdomen by the knight. "You wretch! Atleast show some respect!"

The Prince brought his palm out, signalling the knight to stop. He lowered his head slightly and looked at the miserably coughing girl, "You _do_ know why you're here, right?"

Shirayuki coughed some more before trying to use her shaking hands to support her weight and stagger up into a standing position. She faced the prince and flashed the best defiant glare that she could in her weak state. "hhh...I..I!..I won't _be_ your concubine!"

The Knight immediately slapped her, making her face hit the carpet again. Prince Raji grimaced for a second and then, all of a sudden snapped his fingers. "How unfortunate.." He muttered, placing his manicured palm on her now bruising cheek, "How unfortunate of me. I would really like you to be a part of my collection of beauties but..you see young lady, that's not the case..."

Shirayuki glanced confusedly at him. What does he mean? If the Prince doesn't want her to be his concubine, then why has she been brought here? His words are making absolutely no sense. The brunette's palm left her cheek as he began circling her in a leisure walk. "You are to be presented as a gift to the second prince of Clarines." He stated.

The..second prince? Second Prince of _Clarines_?! But..why?! She has very little knowledge about the Kingdom of Clarines because as a girl, she wasn't allowed to spend much of her time in reading and learning. Ever since the age of five, people around her expected her to take-up the household chores and behave like a decent lady. Still..her grandparents were generous people and on rare occasions they used to tell her a few tales about the neighbouring countries of Tanbarun. And according to what she has been told, Clarines suffered a lot economically after the sudden death of their King. The queen went into a state of heartbreak, leaving the throne to live the life as a pilgrim and spend the remaining years of her life in meditation. Her two young sons were left with no other choice but to handle the kingdom on their own. Even so, she knows nothing about the personalities and characteristics of those princes. Everything about Clarines is a mystery to her. So then..why is she being offered to the prince of a neighbouring kingdom?

Prince Raji snapped his fingers again, "Sakaki..do me the honor of enlightening this girl."

An older man with short brown hair appeared from somewhere from the shadows in one corner of the room and bowed once before the prince before turning towards Shirayuki. "The young Princes of Clarines have worked hard to maintain the current prosperous state of their kingdom. Because of their tough childhood, they have become unusually cold and conserved. They are not easily impressed and unfortunately, they are going to pay a visit to our country for some trade negotiations. We do not want to jeopardize our relations with the most wealthy and strong neighbouring territory and so, we are offering them a variety of gifts." The man named Sakaki explained thoroughly and then nodded towards her, "Of the two princes, the second one is nearly of the same age as Prince Raji. We assume that he must be having similar tastes in women and so young lady, you will be gifted to him as a concubine.." He paused and then added with a smirk, "..and a very exotic concubine at that."

Both the Prince and the slant-eyed knight snickered at the last statement made by the man and Shirayuki closed her eyes in anguish. Her chest was throbbing and she was feeling short of breath. Men! All they think of women is like tools. They love to enjoy the presence of a female for their pleasures to the fullest and when she ages and loses her beauty, they replace her by another. She is going to suffer the same fate now. Looking at this arrogant prince, she already has a general idea about how the princes of that neighbouring country will be— conceited and selfish!

She tried to move her limbs again in a last desperate attempt at defiance but her body didn't even flinch. Well..ofcourse it wouldn't..From what she can recall, she has been chased, cornered, tossed, yanked, dragged and then tossed again, suffered a kick and even a slap; all in the span of a few hours in the same day. She felt every inch of her skin ache and wished to find some herbs so as to ease her pain. Why is this happening to her? Will she never get a chance to be her own person? Will she suffer the same fate as that of the other women?

Ofcourse she will! Who is she fooling?

Captured..she has been captured..and lost even the little freedom that she used to enjoy as an herbalist. She will never be as free as the skies that she so hopefully used to stare at every morning..Her eyelids closed but she tried to keep herself awake..Sadly, her trials failed and she finally gave in to the exhaustion that her body was experiencing and..passed out...

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 **A/N: So..I know..A short chapter..**

 **But I wanted to keep the beginning short. Seriously, I have lot of things planned out about this fic in my head. I'm so excited I've already written half of the second chapter.**

 **Review if you would like me to continue...:3**

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 **Until Next Time...**

 **~Manika**


	2. Chapter 2

**Posted on: 23/03/17**

 **A/N: Okay, this fanfic is interesting me more so I'll be putting 'Test of Fate' on hiatus so that I can focus better on this one.**

 **That said, I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter and leave a review about your views...:)**

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 **Chapter 2: Shackled**

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When she regained her consciousness, Shirayuki's vision wavered. Everything around her appeared blurry, making it hard for her to comprehend her surroundings. She tried raising herself up into a sitting position but the dizziness and the slowly developing headache detained her from doing so.

After blinking her eyelids a few times, she was finally able to have a clearer view of the place that she was in. Her curious green eyes landed upon an old, wooden ceiling of the room and she realised that she was lying down in the supine position. Immediately, she shot-up, forgetting everything about the headache and looked around the room to atleast guess where she was, as this room is a place unknown to her. She pulled the comforter from her body and stood-up from the cozy bed that she had been sleeping in. Ofcourse it doesn't belong to her. Ever since she was born, she has been sleeping on a rather cramped mattress because her grandparents were unable to afford an expensive one. Life of two bar owners, raising a female child isn't easy afterall...

On focusing her senses a bit, she heard distinct noises coming from different directions. Somewhere to the left of this room, the noise of harsh, pained screaming caught her ears. Then there was this faint noise of someone scolding someone else, overshadowed by the screaming noises. Ignoring everything, she tried turning the doorknob but it was locked, just as she had suspected. Where exactly is she?!

As if on cue to her confused thoughts, the door to the room clicked open and in came a young woman, three or four years older than her. She smiled at Shirayuki and passed a hand through her golden locks, lowering her cerulean irises in nervousness and worry. Because of her eye-catching features, anyone would mistake the girl to be the princess of some land. Shirayuki coughed to herself, trying to ignore that thought and immediately walked towards the newly arrived girl and brought out her hand to touch the older girl's shoulder in support but then refrained herself from doing so at the last moment.

Instead, Shirayuki asked, "Are you alright, miss?"

The girl giggled a bit, even more nervous than before, "It's ridiculous..I'm the one who should be questioning you about your health."

A questioning gaze settled upon the redhead's face and the blonde woman answered, "Um..Do you..do you even know where you are?"

Shirayuki answered with a shake of her head. She had absolutely no idea about the surroundings she was in.

"Well..this-"

The door slammed open at that very instant, interrupting the girl from providing any explanations that she was about to. A huge busted woman with greyish-brown locks tied in a bun, sashayed inside. She stopped right before Shirayuki and roved her eyes all over the young girl's body, as if examining her to make a judgement. _Why do people keep doing that?_

For some weird reason, the woman smiled in approval. "My my..you really are what the citizens describe you to be. Hair as red as a fresh apple. Eyes so green and crystal clear. And just look at those lips, my! All we need is to decorate her with a few jewels and some makeup and viola! We'll have a perfect gift ready in no time." The woman told Shirayuki, a crooked grin adorning her already shady features. Her words however, made no sense to the young herbalist. Decorate her? What does that mean?

"Mishe..help this young lady with her cleanup and report to me right after that." The old lady ordered the blonde girl and left.

"Uh..yes Madam Midori." The girl bowed to the lady and the woman sashayed out of the room just the way she had entered.

The blonde girl looked at the confused expression on Shirayuki's face and smiled apologetically. "Forgive me. I am Mishe."

"Shirayuki" the girl immediately bowed her head and introduced herself.

The woman named Mishe frowned this time as she spoke, "Um..listen Miss Shirayuki, this place..it is..it's a Brothel. And..you were sent here by the orders of the First Prince in your unconscious state. He has asked Madam Midori to train you in the arts of entertainment for you are to become a concubine. And.." Mishe stopped herself from speaking when she noticed a tear sliding down the red-haired beauty's cheek.

Shirayuki was so shocked that she found herself unable to utter even a single word. A brothel? She is currently inside a brothel?! Then..those screaming noises that she had heard before weren't screaming at all. They were sounds of pleasure..Just the thought of it is making bile rise up her throat. And if this is not enough then she had been sleeping inside this very pleasure quarter for only heaven knows how long!

Yes! Now her memories are rushing back before her vision like wildfire. First, she was attacked and cornered, then locked inside a carriage and dragged all the way to Prince Raji's room. There she even earned a kick in her abdomen and a stinging slap across her cheek. Now..now she is resting inside a brothel! And all of this happened to her just because she was born with an unusually red shade of hair?! Her hands moved up, clutching at her red locks in a painfully tight grip. She felt like yanking her tresses out right now as silent tears began slipping down her cheeks and a frustrated sob finally broke out of her quivering lips. Oh how she wishes that it were just a nightmare!

She wept and wept and wept and then she tried wiping away her tears by the back of her palm but to no avail. The tears just wouldn't stop flowing out of her eyelids. It was somewhere in between those sorrowful moments that she was guided to a bath house inside that brothel. There, Mishe helped her out with the removal of her sweaty clothes and getting into the bathtub containing already warmed up water. The blonde girl added various, fragrant bathing oils into the water to ease the younger girl's tense muscles but they didn't help even the slightest. It felt as if an eternity passed whilst Shirayuki kept mourning her fate in the warmth of the bath. She didn't feel a thing during the time that Mishe washed her hair and didn't even flinch when scalding hot water was poured over her skin. Her grief was clawing at her throat and it was far more painful than the hot water that was merely burning her skin.

It was when a pair of fingers were clicked right next to her ear that she left the world of her distressful thoughts and returned to the reality. Shaking her head to lessen the effect of the strong headache that has been plaguing her since the moment she woke up, Shirayuki looked up and found herself dressed in a pair of cream white blouse and a parrot green skirt. Mishe was still busy with her long hair though. After drying it up, she combed and tied Shirayuki's lovely red locks in a low pony using a ribbon similar in colour to that of her skirt. Once done with her task, she patted Shirayuki's head and smiled down at her.

"All done." Mishe spoke with another smile.

But Shirayuki couldn't find it in herself to smile back at this girl who was older than her by only a few years. She was having a tough time believing this truth that she was currently facing. Just a day ago, she had been selling herbal medicines to the people of her city without a care in the world about being turned into a concubine. And the very next instant, she was dragged to the Shenezard Palace and informed that she will be presented as a gift to the second prince of Clarines. So now, here she is, sitting on a chair infront of a mirror, staring at a pair of emerald green yet bloodshot eyes adorning her equally puffy and dull face. Mishe stared at her worriedly but didn't ask her about her state of mind. She wanted to inform Shirayuki that it is time for her to see Madam Midori but feared that the short notice might hurt the girl even more than she already is. Fearfully, she moved her lips to speak to her about it anyways but then stopped when she heard Shirayuki giggle. It wasn't one full of joy or amusement but a rather dry one. Then suddenly, the young redhead broke-out into a fit of eerie laughter which appeared more humourless and pitiful than genuine. For minutes she kept laughing like that, scaring her blonde companion out of wits.

"I should've known this would happen.." mumbled Shirayuki, giggling some more, "God I should've known..that in this twisted world controlled by stupid orthodox values, there's no way for a female to rise up. Our traditions do not allow a lady to stand up for herself and make a choice. All her decisions, be them big or small, are taken by a man. She is nothing more than a rag doll; used for a while then thrown away..."

Mishe scoffed, "..couldn't have said it any better. I agree with you. I remember the time that I used to be a slave to a wealthy king and then how he tossed me out when he found someone prettier. Seems like we females..are all rag dolls..."

The two decided to spent a few more minutes in silence, pitying themselves for their fate. If only they had been lucky enough to be born as a man, all their wishes would've been fulfilled. Sadly though..fate had something else in mind during their birth into this world...

The door to the bath suddenly creaked open and the huge busted woman entered. This time, there was an angry scowl etched upon her wrinkled face. As she came close enough to them, she lifted her arm up and landed a hard slap across Mishe's face, who in turn yelped in both terror and hate.

"I asked you to help her cleanup. Instead, you're sitting around with her and chatting away your time, huh?!" The woman scolded.

"Sorry, Ma'am-"

"I don't have time for your apologies! There's a customer waiting inside the fifth quarters. Go attend to him." Madam Midori ordered, all the while skimming here eyes over Shirayuki.

Mishe immediately bowed out of fear at the older woman and excused herself out of the bath. Shirayuki felt a chill run down her spine as soon as her new friend left her all by herself with this devious woman. She didn't enjoy the creepy looks that she was receiving from a woman who maybe as old as 200.

"Well now look at you." She cooed, "You are so perfect. Wipe that sour look off your face and who knows the Prince may end up falling for you." Midori complimented.

Shirayuki scoffed, "That's the last thing I want."

Those curt words hit a nerve of the woman and she moved forward and grasped her red locks with her thin, bony fingers. She pulled on them quite harshly, making the young girl wince and shut her eyes. A fresh tear slid down her already weary cheek and dangled by her jaw. This is not making sense at all. Midori is a female just like herself and yet she is treating her as brutally as any other male in this world. As a woman she must atleast try to understand what Shirayuki is going through right now. She must be gentle with her..and yet..she is being abused. Heh! Men maybe bad but women are far worse. They'll lower themselves to any level of wrongdoings as long as they receive rewards in return.

 _I hate this..I hate everything about this life..about my hair...I..I..I wanna die..._ Shirayuki began clutching at her hair again as the dark thoughts of death began polluting her innocent mind.

"Now listen, young lady. I only have a month to turn you into something worth being gifted. The two Princes will be visiting Tanbarun next month and by then, you'll be ready to leave in perfection. Understand?!" The woman hissed, pulling even harder to which Shirayuki cried in response, tears clouding her already dull irises.

* * *

"You did it again."

The sarcastic statement was made by a blond man in his early twenties. He pulled back the comfortable chair he had been occupying and stood up. Adjusting his jacket lazily over his shoulders, he walked towards one of the pillars inside his office and leaned against it, one leg crossed over the other. And as he folded his arms across his chest, a somewhat displeased look settled upon his usually poker face. He looked at the young man bowing before him and shook his head in amusement. Oh! How he loves having a younger sibling who has a knack of jumping out of the castle and escaping into the wilderness. Although he has no idea how his younger brother manages to evade this heavily guarded palace, he has to admit, this recklessness of his brother is the only thing that adds some entertainment in his boring lifestyle as the crown prince of Clarines.

He smirked at the two faithful aides of his little brother, standing stoically by the door, watching their master being scolded. Again...

"Zen, how many times do you want me to remind you of your duties as a Prince?" He asked.

"I already know the significance of my title." muttered the boy in question without a beat, finally lifting his face up to level his sapphire stare to that of his older brother's.

"Well then..do tell why did you leave?" questioned the elder prince.

"I..." the younger prince, Zen, found himself at a loss of words.

"Listen Zen, you and me..we are the only rightful owners of the throne of Clarines. I hope you realise what this means-"

"I do!" the young man yelled, "I do understand!"

"Hmph! Fine then..I am glad you understand." The older brother shrugged, "However, you will take off for Raxd by tomorrow morning and stay at the Fortress there for this complete month and a day to work and monitor the conditions of the soldiers there."

The young prince was shocked on hearing that, "But..next month..there's an official meeting being held in Tanbarun!" Zen reminded.

"Oh I remember." countered the elder brother calmly.

"I'll miss it!" Zen added argumentatively.

"And that's your punishment for your insincere behaviour. Have I made myself clear?" The older prince deadpanned, leaving no room for any complaints.

Reluctantly, the young, second prince of Clarines once again bowed his head before his well-respected elder brother and muttered, "Yes, Lord Brother."

* * *

Twenty days have already passed since the fateful day that Shirayuki woke up to find herself in this brothel. As much as she hates this place, she can't help herself from getting attached to a few girls here. There is Kimiko, this 30-year old lady who is teaching her how to sing. She told Shirayuki that her husband sold her off to this place just to earn money worth a few months expenditure. Then there's this 15-year old named Mei, who is a really good dancer and teaching her the same. After her unexpectedly doting father died during the battle that occurred four years ago, she was left with no other choice but to join this group of harlots. It is her only source of income and ofcourse, it pays well. All the entertainers here are paid well... But this isn't all. Shirayuki has already tried escaping this place five times now. The last three times she received the company of Mishe and the other two girls mentioned before. However, even after all the tactful planning and their impeccable evasion skills, they only failed. And the punishment of being caught were 10 whippings over different parts of their body. But thanks to the orders from Prince Raji, Shirayuki didn't receive any of those lashings all because she is supposed to be presented to the second prince of a neighbouring country. How biased can this society be?

"Forget about it." Kimiko said, taking a whiff of the Hookah placed inside the room they were sitting in.

"Yeah" Mei nodded her head in agreement, "It's not your fault that you're special."

Special? She feels like laughing maniacally at their words. She has been spared all the torture that her friends go through just because she is going to be presented like some bribe to a neighbouring country's arrogant prince for the sake of keeping the two nations' relationship intact. If anything, this mistreatment is making her feel pangs of guilt every passing second. She doesn't want the people around her to suffer because of her jinxed red hair. She wants to be able to raise her voice on behalf of all the tormented women in this world and make a change. Before being brought to this place, Shirayuki had no idea that such a shady place could exist. Sure she had heard about slaves and women being sold off and even about these red-light districts but never had she imagined that they'd be this..frightening. Her vibrant emeralds have lost the innocence with which she used to look at this world. And she'd do anything just to regain it...

"I'm sorry though. _I_ _am_ the one who always comes up with these escape plans. I should suffer equally." Shirayuki mumbled guiltily.

Mishe shook her head and smiled, "Stop saying such words. It's not like you wish for this to happen."

Shirayuki smiled a bit. Atleast the bruise that had developed on Mishe's cheek due to the slap given by Midori has finally healed. Few days ago, she managed to steal some herbs from the small garden in this place and prepared a healing poultice for her friend. It was also that garden where she first met and became friends with Kimiko and Mei. The four of them have been together ever since and share a common dream— escape from this hell and rebelliously live their life the way they want...

"Now lets get ready. Today..we are supposed to entertain a group of travelling merchants." informed Kimiko, taking another whiff of the Hookah.

The smile on Shirayuki's face began wavering immediately after hearing the older lady's words. It's going to happen again. At the end of every week, a special celebration is held at this brothel, allowing men who pay well to enter and enjoy the company of the harlots working here. The only thing for which Shirayuki has been very grateful of Midori, is that the ruthless owner of this place forbade her from attending these sessions..err..until today that _is_. According to her, a lot can be learned by experiencing things and so, after 20 days of her stay at this place, Shirayuki has been ordered to attend today's event and gain some practical experience in the arts of entertaining men. The thought itself is too repulsive for the young herbalist. But even if she tries to defy the command of Midori, she knows that she will be dragged in for the event against her will. The little freedom that she used to exercise while selling medicines at her shop has been snatched away from her...

.

.

Night has fallen and the special event of the day will be ending within a few hours. Just a little while to go and then Shirayuki will be out of this room. She has been dancing and singing before all these variety of merchants, traders and travellers for a while now and wants nothing more than to exit this room so as to get away from the leering stares of these filthy men. She hates it when they smirk in a lewd manner and wink at her. She must focus on preparing a fresh plan to escape this brothel and she must make it quick because now she has only 10 days remaining, after which she will be given off to the potentate of an entirely different nation.

As the girl was busy devising another plan for her escape, someone caught her wrist from behind. She gasped when his rough grip he pulled the girl close to his body and he groped at her breasts. She screamed in fright and tried to push away the man from herself. He must be one of the highly drunk guest at this events. The way he grinned while watching her protest, scared her. Is he..Is he thinking about doing something like that to her in front of so many other men? What is it with men and their unbridled urges to copulate? Why can't they restrain their desires?

"Ugh! Let me GO!" She intoned as fiercely as she could.

The man sneered at her, "Hey shuddup bitch! I'm paying you for this!"

"I never asked for this!" She shouted, shoving the man off of herself and running away. Unfortunately, he pulled her by the long braid of her red locks and she cried. Yanking her back, he slammed her against one of the tables and dove his face forward for a forced kiss. _No! No! Please no! I don't want this. Please spare me! Please!_ Terrified, Shirayuki closed her eyes and let the silent tears roll down her eyelids. From now on, is it always going to be like this? Moreover, is this how her three friends feel whenever they are asked to sacrifice their body for the sake of money and a roof over their heads? Are they just as frightened as she is at the moment? Or maybe, they were afraid when it was the first time that they went through this...

"Get away from the girl!"

Both the drunk man and Shirayuki turned their attention towards the intruder, the former in surprise and irritation while the latter in relief. A man wearing the royal palace guard uniform glared at the drunk merchant. He pushed the guy aside and then took her by her hand, shoving her towards another person- Madam Midori-she noticed. The royal guard must've also come here to have some entertainment but still, it is all thanks to him that Shirayuki has been spared from the dirty hands of a man probably thrice her age.

The brothel owner spoke with gritted-teeth, "Listen here..this girl is supposed to be kept pure. Her chastity and everything else about her belong to the second prince of Clarines. So you better not try that ever again." Midori threatened, her glare far more intense than that of the palace guard.

Shirayuki's eyes began widening when she heard the statement made by this woman. That's right! How can she forget? Her life doesn't belong to her anymore. It has been shackled and the only person who holds the key to open them is some conceited monarch of the neighbouring country. Her emotions began flaring and sparks of anger emanated from her form. These people aren't even protecting her because they hold any kind of emotional attachment towards her. They are merely doing it so as to protect her virginity for a man who is known to the world as the second prince of Clarines. She can feel her hatred brewing for this man even before an actual encounter with him. Well..it's not like she can do anything against him for he is the person who is going to be the one in control of her actions- how she thinks and feels..and Shirayuki can't help herself but shudder at the mere thought of being manipulated by a man she has never once met in her life. She must find a way to escape and..she must hurry...

* * *

 **A/N: Well..that's all, folks!**

 **What do you think?**

 **Are you sad with how Shirayuki's being treated?**

 **What do you think about her friends?**

 **How do you think Zen will be in this story?**

 **Please share your thoughts and opinions...**

 **|Follow|Review|Share|**

 **Until Next Time...**

 **~Manika**


	3. Chapter 3

**Posted on: 28/03/17**

 **A/N: I wasn't receiving any reviews for this book so I didn't feel like writing. But..here's the 3rd chapter. REVIEW PLEASE! Reviews are what keep a writer alive...:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Surrender**

* * *

With the cool breeze lingering around his skin every now and then, Prince Zen felt more annoyed than he had ever before. This isn't the first time that he has been punished for his audacious actions but..this sure is the first time that he has received such kind of harsh treatment from his elder brother. And by harsh, he is referring the cold weather that always looms over Raxd. His brother is well-aware of the fact that he is not very fond of the cold and still, he sent him to work in this territory. Wow! Zen exhaled a breath in irritation and glared at the white snow covering the whole land, silently teasing him.

He slammed his fist on the window, actually managing to shatter the glass. Small specks of the broken glass pierced his skin but the relief that he felt after smashing something is worth this pain. He hates this. The way he is treated for being the younger brother. Seriously, he has already accustomed himself with the fact that he won't be the one sitting on the throne someday, watching over the lands of Clarines. The crown has always belonged to his elder brother and people have been hammering this thought in his head ever since he was born. And he knows it..he knows that his brother truly deserves to rule. But he..he isn't cut-out for this royal life that he has to deal with every single day. He is more of an adventurer. He wants to explore every nook and corner of this kingdom that will someday be handed over to his elder brother. And since every single person in their court is already known to this fact, they must stop with the comparisons. Like, judging every step he takes with that of his brother. He doesn't want to suffer being watched like hawks for even his daily-life activities. Doesn't privacy matter?!

Sighing in frustration, he looked-up at the dusky sky and saw that a few stars were beginning to show up. It'll be dark sooner than he knows and then the next day will arrive— the day that will mark an end to the official punishment given to him by his brother and he'll finally be allowed to return to the Wistal Castle. It's not like he hates being here at this Fortress. Staying here actually made him delve deeper into the working pattern of the soldiers stationed at this Fortress and he realised just how poor and uncoordinated their brawling skills are. This whole month he helped them out with their training and in the improvement of skills they were deficient in. However, how they'll utilise this improvised training in an actual fight is yet incomprehensible.

Suddenly the sound of metal clanging against metal reached his ears and as he lowered his head down the open-window towards the place where he had expected the source of the noise to be, he saw the gate guards of the Fortress facing off against some shabbily-dressed men. These are probably the bandits that that little guard named Shuka was complaining about. The boy who is even younger than himself, went on endlessly, complaining about how those bandits always keep causing trouble to both the citizens of Raxd as well as to the workers at this Fortress. So now that he has witnessed their dirty acts with his very own eyes, he wouldn't mind letting out some of his bottled-up emotions on these wrongdoers.

"Zen!" The door to his room burst open and Mitsuhide, his faithful aide since six years came running towards him, a worried expression plastered on his face, "Zen there are bandits-"

"I know." The second Prince nodded his head at his long-time aide with a calm yet serious look that he rarely shows to anyone. Mitsuhide gasped when Zen jumped and crouched atop the railing of the window all of a sudden. A second later, he took-off, landing on the ground with ease, right between the guards and the bandits. Everyone stopped as the Prince's unexpected entry was quite a shock and watched his sapphire eyes turn into narrow slits. He drew his sword out from its sheath and positioned himself into a fighting stance. The bandits took the hint and charged at him.

* * *

When Shirayuki woke up that evening, she felt an ominous feeling constricting her throat, suffocating her from breathing freely. Unease engulfed her whole form and she pulled the comforter tighter to herself, trying to conceal her presence from the chaos that Fate has bestowed upon her life. Today is the day that she will be sent off to the neighbouring country along with the second prince of Clarines. Now she won't be able to run away from the situation that she is in, for now her life will be weighed down by the chains that will be wound around her by this unknown young prince. She is wondering if there is any way that she can still try to utilise in order to make a shot at one last escape.

"We're coming in."

Came the voice of her friend Mishe accompanied by the sound of two soft knocks at the door to her room. Having given the news about her entrance, the knob was turned from the other side of the door by the young, blonde beauty and she stepped inside, followed by Kimiko and Mei. From beneath the comforter, she peeked uneasily at the only three genuine friends that she managed to make in her life. They were smiling at her as if trying to assure her that everything is somehow going to be alright. A pang of sorrow hit her heart. Now, she won't be able to make any further new friends because of the place that she is going to and she'll even lose these three that she found in this hell. If only someone grants her another day to spend in the company of these kind girls. A tear slid down her cheek and the carefully constructed wall that had been holding her emotions until now, came crashing down. She broke into a fit of sobs and cascading tears.

Worried by her sudden breakdown, the three girls rushed to her bedside. Kimiko placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed to offer some support. "Don't worry, Shirayuki. You're really lucky." Rei spoke, smiling her most convincing smile.

Amidst her uncontrolled sobs, the red-haired lass spoke meekly, "L..Lucky?"

"Yes!" chimed in Mishe, "You'll be living inside a castle and get all the luxuries that you've ever dreamt of after becoming that prince's concubine."

"Also..you will have to offer yourself to only a single person. You won't suffer the humiliation of having to give your body to a completely strange man everyday of your life..." muttered Kimiko in a grim tone. The older woman has suffered sexual encounters with countless men who come to this brothel daily.

Only heaven knows what these three ladies have gone through in the past. They've been at this brothel for more than 4 years now and this much amount of time is more than enough to gain all kinds of traumatic and heinous experiences one could ever imagine of. Kimiko is quite right with this one. Shirayuki is fortunate that she was left untouched because of the fact that she is supposed to be a gift to the second prince of Clarines. But..this doesn't mean that she is willing enough to give herself to a man that she has never once met in her life. She still wants to escape.

"I..I know that I am somewhat lucky but..I don't want to become a concubine. I'm an herbalist..I want to live my life by helping others. My grandparents didn't go all through the trouble of raising a girl child to see her become a concubine someday..." Shirayuki reasoned sadly.

The three women exchanged understanding glances and nodded their heads to each-other. They must get Shirayuki ready within the three hours that they've been granted before she is sent off to the Shenazard Castle to meet the guest princes. Once she leaves this place, they won't be able to help their friend even if they want to. However, there is still something that can come in handy if she dare tries to escape from the palace.

.

.

A carriage arrived at the brothel and the driver said that he has come to pickup the 'gift'. Shirayuki recalled the man to be the one from before - the valet that had been there when she was captured from her very own shop. She didn't spare him any looks and swiftly sat down inside. As the doors were locked, she glanced out the window and waved her hand at her friends with the best fake smile that she could plaster upon her sad persona.

The girls had dressed her up in an off-shoulder gown, yellow in colour. It was a dress suggested by Madam Midori and she has to admit, it is quite a revealing one. Agreeing to this fact, Midori placed a green cloak over her but whispered coyly in her ear about how she must show-off her body only to the man that she is being gifted to. Ignoring the disgusting parting words of the lecherous, old woman, she squared her shoulders. This is not the time to mull over some promiscuous remarks made about her but to focus on what she must do from now on. Her friends have already helped her a lot so she mustn't let them down and prepare herself for a deadly faceoff inside the castle. This will be her last chance at an escape. And if she succeeds, she'll make sure to somehow save her friends as well.

.

.

The Shenazard Castle was being heavily guarded. Maybe because of the presence of the guests from neighbouring countries. Well..it's going to be harder than she had originally expected it to be but..she can't chicken-out and back down now. She must try and make her move. Afterall..this will be her last chance...

She took a deep breath and released it as the carriage halted before the castle and the valet pulled open the door. The same expressionless, slant-eyed man who had captured her in the past, accompanied her to the room where all the royalties have been seated. There is an official meeting being held so the guard knocked once and then waited for permission to be granted for their entrance. Almost about 5-7 minutes later, a maid peeked-out through the ajar door and signalled them to enter. It was in that moment that Shirayuki reminded herself of all the pain and suffering that she has gone through because of some of these royalties who messed-up her life. She had a very bright future ahead in medicines and pharmacology but this country's stupid ideology of offering a gift for the sake of keeping the peace intact between two nations spoiled her life. She squared her shoulders and readied herself before taking her next action.

The slant-eyed man was already at the door but when he noticed that Shirayuki wasn't even twitching, he yelled, "Get moving, whore!"

She tilted her head-up and glared at the man, "No! I won't!"

The next instant, she ruffled her cloak and removed it, throwing it off in the man's face. From the layers of frills in her dress, she pulled out a stealthily-kept dagger and charged at him.

* * *

Prince Izana isn't very fond of the royal family of Tanbarun but having harmonious ties with his neighbouring countries is a must and so, he'll have to endure the idiocy of the first prince of Tanbarun. So far, he has noticed that the throne descendant is nothing like his strong and confident father. Well, even the second prince doesn't possess any of those advantageous qualities. Therefore, the only person capable of claiming the throne of this country is Princess Rona. She maybe chirpy and curious but she is also a very well-behaved and well-mannered young girl of 9. Ever since his arrival and meetings at the Shenazard Castle, she has proven to be the most suitable candidate worthy of his company. She is still innocent and talks her mind freely. If only it were possible, she could've become a really promising ruler but the fact that she is a woman, crumbles all of these features. Just like every other female child of the royalty, when she comes of the age she will be married-off to the prince of an influential country and sent away. She won't even get a chance to test her worth and will be asked to stay by the side of her King..to support that one man even in his wrongs...It's a pity that such a talent will be wasted...

"Is something wrong, your highness?" The first Prince's personal attendant named Sakaki asked Izana.

The crown prince of Clarines responded with an easy, polite smile. "Ofcourse not."

His response was followed by a variety of smiles and understanding nods from the others seated around him. They accepted his reply without even bothering to have any second thoughts. King Shenazard however, didn't buy any of it. From the very moment he arrived, there has been an eerie sort of coldness surrounding Prince Izana's countenance. It's almost as if the prince wants to trust them and yet has a few doubts plaguing his mind. Well..the King knows that after the small scuffle which occurred between the two respective kings of Clarines and Tanbarun eleven years ago, there has always been a kind of rift between the two countries— a rift that has widened because of various suspicions that the two Wistaria princes have developed against him. But this doesn't mean that the King will back down without even trying. Amiable banquets, polite Business meetings or an array of gifts— the king will try all of the options that he has in order to regain the trust of the most wealthy and strong country in the Fortissia continent. And so, he signalled the two maids standing at his side to bring in all the presents that the royal family has personally selected to be gifted to the two young princes whilst Raji motioned Sakaki to bring the red-haired girl that will be gifted as a special present to the second prince of Clarines to gain friendship.

As Sakaki informed the maid standing by the doors to permit the girl to enter, she bowed and poked her head out through the door to forward the information to the said girl. A few seconds later though, loud noises began emanating from the outside.

"No! I won't!" came the harsh cry from a feminine tone.

Everyone turned their heads towards the door, which burst open at that same instant. A beautifully dressed, young girl with red hair was tossed inside and she landed on the carpeted-floor, yelping in pain. A slant-eyed knight entered next, his sword pointed angrily at the girl on the floor. Most of the people stood-up and gasped at the sight. Prince Izana on the other hand didn't even budge as he watched the whole scenario with his interest slightly perked. And in that very moment, right before his eyes, the girl forced herself up into a standing position and turned her head. Her piercing emerald irises were boring holes into the skin of the first prince of Tanbarun. Her glare intensified when the prince smirked at her and in a flash, she dashed towards Raji, trying to stab him with a small dagger in her dainty palms. Izana's eyes widened at the sight. Surely, the guard managed to stop her but the girl successfully landed a fatal blow on Raji's chest. The deep gash will scar if not given proper attention as soon as possible.

The dagger in the young girl's hand was snatched-away by Sakaki and her arms were held tightly behind her back by the guard. She kept glaring at the occupants even after being held down.

Izana smiled amusedly as a thought came to his mind, _There's fight in her eyes._

"Apologies for the crude behaviour of this girl." spoke the King of Shenazard, "She is supposed to be a special gift for your younger brother Zen."

Izana quirked his brows, "A gift?"

"Yes! I want to be friends with him." stated Prince Raji, now being taken to the infirmary.

"I see." Izana nodded, staring at the young beauty.

Worriedly Sakaki asked, "Even though she is behaving like this. She will serve your brother loyally. Will you accept her, your highness?" He asked.

Another smirk graced Izana's lips, "That is not something for me to decide. I'll take her with me and see what Zen has to say." A second later, he added, "Afterall, she really is..exotic."

* * *

 _That is not something for me to decide. I'll take her with me and see what Zen has to say. Afterall, she really is..exotic._

The words kept resonating in Shirayuki's head as she travelled rather unwillingly in a carriage which is supposed to take her to the kingdom of Clarines. Those words were uttered in an amused tone by whom she assumes is the crown prince of Clarines. And he also mentioned someone that goes by the name of 'Zen'. Well, she doesn't need piles of intelligence to understand that this _Zen_ is the younger prince of Clarines, that is, the man who will become her owner as soon as she arrives. A tear rolled down her eye and she sobbed. She is literally feeling like a dog right now— a dog who is not supposed to make any moves prior to their master's commands.

 _Afterall, she really is..exotic._

And what exactly did that mean? Exotic? Are collecting rare things a hobby of the second prince? Is this the reason why she has been chosen as a gift? Her rare, red hair colour? And what happens to all of his rare things? How are they treated? Ah! Who cares? Atleast..she doesn't. This was her last chance at escape and she failed. Now she is left with no choice but to surrender. The tears rolled endlessly down her cheeks and she didn't bother wiping them away. Instead, she wept herself to sleep inside that carriage, dreaming about being confined within a huge basket of red apples...

* * *

 **A/N: And that's all dear readers. Shirayuki and Prince Zen will finally meet each-other in the next chapter ;)**

 **What do you think their meeting will be like?**

 **|Follow|Review|Share|**

 **Until Next Time...**

 **~Manika**


	4. Chapter 4

**(Unedited)**

 **Posted on: 06/04/17**

* * *

 **A/N: Firstly, I'd like to thank all the people who took their time out and reviewed the previous chapter. It really means a lot...:3**

 **Secondly, please bear with my writing skills. I am well-acquainted with the naruto fandom. These are completely new characters and its hard to write them.**

 **Enjoy this one and don't forget to drop a comment...:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Encounter**

* * *

Although Prince Izana's face doesn't express much, he is extremely excited about this whole thing with the red-haired girl. He has been requested by that foolish prince of Tanbarun that she must be treated as a concubine, who is only supposed to serve his younger brother and speak to no other soul. She is a special present which he has gifted to become friends with Zen, and this actually means that Tanbarun is trying to gain their trust by gifting various expensive stuff. And this girl just happens to be a part of it because of what? Her exotic features? What else can she provide for Clarines other than herself? Well..it's not as if solidarity between his country and Tanbarun is something that can bother him. What he is more eager about, is the priceless reaction that his brother's face will have when he finally meets this presented, red-haired concubine and even more interesting will be the actions that his brother will take with respect to this girl. He knows that his little brother will not give into his male impulses to commit any stupid mistakes like initiating coitus with the girl. But he sure as hell will react in some irritated manner and that is exactly what Izana is waiting to witness.

* * *

The whipping noise of the harnesses impacting horses' skins reached her ears, awakening her from her nightmare full of constraints and red apples. She was not even given a chance to yawn or rub her eyes to push away the sleep clouding her vision. Immediately when the carriage came to a halt, she gasped as she was hauled-out of her comfortable perch and dragged inside the regal Wistal Castle by a few maids who were acting on the orders given to them by Izana, the throne prince of Clarines. She followed their directions like a meek lamb, anxiety beginning to gnaw at her skin.

Once inside what appeared to be some sort of work space, the maids began to help her out of her green cloak and the crumpled yellow gown. The actions that followed after, occurred in a blur before her sight and all that she can remember is being bathed in a variety of scented-oils and dressed-up in a shorter white attire, far more revealing than the previously worn off-shoulder gown. One of the many maids working on her, walked her to stand before a full-length mirror and she finally took in her appearance. There before her, stood a girl wearing a white, sleeveless corset and matching silk underwear. Numerous red laces entwined around the whole dress in intricate patterns, all of them joining up at the cleavage. Contrary to what she had expected, her face was not covered in any sort of make-up and her hair was simply brushed and let down, the long red locks falling over her bare shoulders and down her smooth back. Her stomach turned at the sight for she did not take fancy to her new form even a bit.

But before she could even begin insulting herself, she was pulled out of the room by a pair of guards and guided towards a huge room, which according to them belongs to the second prince of Clarines. They pushed her inside and she fell unceremoniously atop the plush mattresses of the king-sized bed. The guards snickered and eyed her suggestively. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, she found herself pinned against a wall and a guard holding her in position, her wrists held-up by him in a bruising grip. She cried in pain and tried shoving the guy off of herself, failing miserably.

"You _really_ are pretty. I guess this is why you're a gift for our little prince, huh?" The guard teased, snickering some more.

His companion, who was already out of the room, whispered worriedly, "Hey! You want to get yourself killed or what?! The young prince will not let you get away with this. Just..leave her."

The guard smirked lecherously at her and then pulled away. Shirayuki was about to take a breath of relief but then she was thrown over the bed sheets again and this time, one of her wrists was shackled by a chain that was attached to the bedpost. The guard told her that this is only a safety measure that the first prince of Clarines has commanded him to take since she is very dangerous. His partner put aside every sharp object that could possibly assist her in her escape.

"Now wait here like a good woman and promise that you'll give our prince a good time." He winked at her from the doorway, before locking the room from the outside.

She slammed her free hand in anger and frustration and stared helplessly at the rattling chain that was constraining her to the bed. It was long enough, ranging her movements to all over the bed but no further than that. Tears welled-up in her eyes yet again and she began weeping. Why is this happening with her? Why is Fate being so unfair to her? Somewhere in the midst of shedding tears and drowning herself in her sorrows, she fell asleep on the bed in a dreamless, exhausted sleep...

.

.

When she awoke hours later, she realised that the sun has already set by the pitch black sky that she noticed when she craned her head in the direction of the big, glass doors that led to a balcony attached to the room. If it had been some other time and she hadn't been constrained by a chain, then she would've rushed towards the doors to push them open and enjoy the beautiful view that she assumes this balcony provides. But today..today is not that day. She giggled dryly as a lone tear slid down the nuance of her already tear-stained cheek. It's not like she'll ever get the opportunity to be free..to be her own person and bask in the beauty of this world. She will forever be tied down to this unknown country and she'll age serving a man that she has only heard about in words from strangers. She will die in a foreign land..on foreign soil..without even realising her dreams of becoming a renowned Herbalist. Heh! It's not as if she can fight her destiny. She cannot go against what is fated to happen in her life..She just..can't...With a weary expression on her face, she looked down at the shackle around her wrist and all of a sudden, her eyes gleamed. _Fate..._ A thought came into her mind at the sight of that long chain and she smiled a smile that was void of any emotions. Ofcourse she can't battle what's bound to happen in her life. But she can undoubtedly try to bend the ways of fate a little. So what if she can't control her life like a free soul. All that she needs to do, is keep others from her. She will not allow any man to touch her skin ever again, especially if it's someone of the royal blood. Motioning her constrained wrist, she wound the long chain around her neck and began constricting her very own throat. She will die here..and in doing so, she will save herself the humiliation of being tainted by the hands of a conceited prince. _Farewell..Prince Zen..._ She thought wryly and smirked as she felt the spasms of triumph already hitting her shallowly breathing form...

To her utter horror, the door to the room slammed open at that same moment and she sucked in a breath of fright...

* * *

He slammed the door to his room open and once inside, kicked it shut. Inhaling a deep breath, he released it slowly in order to calm his agitated nerves. This is the only method that he can utilise to keep himself from murdering some of this court's officials. But oh well! He knows that one of these coming days, he _will_ draw his sword and impale someone. Seriously, he behaved like a good boy and followed with the idea of his brother's stupid punishment of stabilising Raxd's condition in a month. He suffered in that cold weather for a complete month _and a day_. And what did he receive in return? More paperwork! More Reprimands from the court officials! More comparisons between him and his ideal brother! They must spare him the lectures atleast once in a while. He is _literally_ bleeding right now. Well, he was also bleeding a few minutes ago in the Court Meeting Room when all of those officials were busy chiding him about how he could've done more, blatantly refusing to notice the battered state that he was in.

Sighing haggardly, he removed his heavy, woollen overcoat and threw it in some corner of the room. At this moment, only a soaking in his personal baths can ease him. All the wounds that he is harbouring at present are a result of the gruelling yet exercising battle that he had had just a few hours ago outside the fortress in Raxd. Those bandits proved to be really good duellers.

As he unbuttoned the top few buttons of his navy blue shirt to allow more air to his sweating chest, he felt a noise. More specifically, a noise like that of someone trying to suck in a breath and keep shut. Suspiciously, he walked back towards the door and pulled out the torch hanging at it's side from a hoop. Using the flame from the torch, he lighted the six lanterns that were positioned in different parts of the room to add better lighting to his dimly-lit room. And just as the lanterns began shining, his narrowed irises landed on a moving figure that lay atop his bed and a frown settled upon his face. He smacked his palm over his forehead and snorted. _Brother..._ The only legit reasoning behind a girl sitting in his bedroom can be his elder brother Izana. This must be one of those extremely sick jokes of his. He exhaled a breath to calm himselves. Afterall, this unknown girl doesn't deserve his wrath. His anger will only be unleashed on the court officials and no one other than that.

He took another glance at her and his serene blue irises narrowed again when he noticed a chain wrapped tightly around the girl's throat. And not just any chain; It was the very chain that was attached to her shackled wrist. Why exactly has she been constrained is a mystery that hardly matters. He must help her out of the chain first. With that sole thought in mind, he nodded to himself and moved towards the girl. She shrieked and began quivering, her whole form expressing how scared she was. Scared of what though? _Him?_ He sighed and reached his hand out for her constrained wrist but she flinched away in even more fear. Hissing in annoyance, he jumped on the bed to reach the chain much easily. However, the girl kept fidgeting away from him. After a few minutes of her determined struggle, he finally managed to remove the chain from around her neck and instantly, held her wrists above her head, pinning her beneath his very own body as he straddled her legs.

"Stop moving!" He ordered in annoyance.

His words seemed to have scared her even more than she already was as she yelped and closed her eyes tightly shut, awaiting whatever was to come next. When nothing happened within the next few moments, she blinked her eyes open and looked anxiously at him. And it was in that moment that his sapphire pools met her emerald orbs and they stared into each-other's eyes for a good minute. She was wearing a white night gown that was accentuating all her curves but at the same time, it appeared to be kinda risqué. His eyes also took note of the shocking yet beautiful red tresses, spread all over the pillows in a disarray, matching the red laces decorating her dress.

"Beautiful.." He muttered, staring dreamily at her clashing pair of red hair and emerald irises. This is something he has never seen in his life. Can a being this pretty even exist? What a rare specimen she is? But wait..what exactly is this exotic nymph doing inside _his_ bedroom? Why exactly is her wrist shackled? And..why only one wrist? None of this is adding-up in his brain.

The girl, confused by this stranger's choice of words, stared questioningly at him. Who is he? Then, she mentally slapped herself for being stupid when she realised that the only person who can enter this room is it's very owner. Great! Here she is, hands pinned above her head by a second man today and that too by a man who happens to be a prince. And to think that just a few minutes ago she had pledged to keep her skin away from a royal blood's touch! She can only hope that he won't try to touch her somewhere else like her friends at the brothel used to tell her.

With hesitant motioning of her lips, she squeaked-out, "P..Pr-Prince Zen?"

The man nodded in response to his name being called-out and wondered how this girl, who is completely unknown to him, knows his name. He searched her eyes for an answer but only felt himself getting more and more mesmerised by her emeralds. It was a dripping sound that finally pulled him out of his trance-like state and he heard her gasp. When he looked at her face, he found that a big drop of blood was splattered on her cheek— his blood! He realised that he was still lying atop her and immediately pulled away.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" He yelled in embarrassment, raising his hands at his sides.

Shirayuki however, didn't react to his action. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and touched the liquid on her cheek. _Red._ It really was blood. She reached out to trace her fingers gently over the cut on the left side of his forehead and gasped again.

"You're bleeding!" In a state of panic, she began rummaging her hands all over the bed in search of some kind of thing with which she could stop his blood from flowing any further but to her dismay, found nothing...

"Don't worry about me." He unsheathed the sword from the scabbard that was attached in his pants' belt and with his other hand stretched her chain. In one swift swing of his hand, the sword cut the chain restricting her motion to the bed.

"Okay..now you stay here while I'll go take a bath. We'll talk about your presence here later on." He ordered without any strictness in his tone.

For a moment, Shirayuki stared at him in confusion. This man, the second prince of Clarines..he..he actually freed her of the chains that had been binding her... Why?! She felt like repaying this man for his small act of kindness towards her. She hadn't expected anything like this from the prince of an entirely unknown country whilst travelling unwillingly in that carriage. This is the first time that a man- no..a person..this is the first time that a person has done something for her without even asking for anything in return and she can't help herself from wondering why. Why is it that even after being a man of royal blood this guy is behaving so humbly towards her? From all of her past experiences with the royalties, she can only recall herself getting reprimanded or beaten. No person of higher status ever allowed her to speak her mind or make her own choices and yet here, this man who is supposed to use her any way he likes, chose to set her free. _Why?!_

As he staggered towards the door that probably leads towards the bath, Shirayuki tugged at his shirt's hem from behind. The young man turned his head sideways, his beautiful silvery-white locks shimmering in the lighting of the lanterns. He glanced questioningly at her.

"Pardon my presumptuous behaviour, your highness." She spoke, her head lowered down, "..I...I can treat your wounds."

The young prince turned around completely to face her. "What?"

"I..I am an herbalist." She informed meekly.

"And care to explain what an herbalist is doing inside my bedroom?" He asked with narrowed eyes, his demeanour completely changed. "You can't just expect me to believe every word you say. From the looks of it, you aren't even someone from my country. What if you are just trying to lure me into a trap so you can poison me and escape, huh?!" He pried her hand off of his shirt and added, "I wasn't born yesterday!"

Shirayuki could only nod at the man eyeing her suspiciously. He has a valid point. Even _she_ wouldn't trust someone she just met but..she can't..she can't let herself stay indebted to this man that she doesn't even know. She must return the favour in some form and the best that she can do right now is helping him with his wounds. Squaring her shoulders, she yanked-out a long hairpin from her red locks and before the prince could even comprehend her next move, she slit a long cut along her own wrist.

The next instant, the hairpin was slapped away from her grasp and it went clattering in one corner of the room. "Are you out of your mind?!" The prince shook her by the shoulders, glaring directly into her eyes.

Shirayuki didn't understand. One minute this guy is questioning her loyalty whilst the other, he is concerned about her. Just what exactly is wrong with him? Aren't all princes supposed to be rude and conceited? Why is he treating her like an equal with himself?

"I...your highness..." She took hold of his wrists that were still around her shoulders and the shackle on her right hand scraped the skin of his hand lightly. "Whether I am out of my mind or not, hardly matters. My arm is wounded and it's bleeding profusely. Please your highness, grant me the permission to treat my injury."

Zen stared at her in what can only be called a mixture of shock and awe. In that one moment, he realised that this strange girl is just as stubborn as he is. No person has ever talked to him with this amount of confidence and he is feeling really impressed by this girl's bravery. Even though she knows that she is conversing with a prince, she is so.. _normal_. He couldn't help himself from breaking out into a fit of delighted laughter.

He removed his palms from her shoulders and laughed harder, bending on his knees to catch his breath. "God!" He exclaimed amusedly.

After inhaling huge quantities of air, he released a heavy sigh and tilted his head-up, smiling genuinely at her, "I am Zen Wistaria, the second prince of Clarines."

Well..she already knew this but still decided to play along with his act of formal introductions and replied, "I am Shirayuki, an ordinary herbalist from Tanbarun."

"Well then Shirayuki, there's an infirmary inside this castle and you can borrow some medicines from their to treat your wounds." He turned in between and grabbed the dirty overcoat that he had taken-off just a few minutes ago, putting it back on.

As soon as he stepped out of his room, he turned around and brought his hand out before her. With an amiable smile on his face, he asked, "Shirayuki?"

The girl blushed and hesitated for she has never been treated with such nobility ever in her life. She glanced at him uneasily and then herself walked out of the room.

"I'll guide you to the infirmary." Prince Zen spoke in a promising tone and gestured his palm at her once more.

Although shakily, she placed her fingers into his awaiting palm, accepting his offer and felt a spark hit her skin the minute it made contact with his...

* * *

 **A/N: So..they finally met! :3**

 **What do you guys think?**

 **Did you like their first encounter?**

 **If there are any questions related to my fanfics or just anything you wanna talk about, then head over to my tumblr account: manika-on-a-whim**

 **Well..more Zenyuki coming in the next chapter. So, wait patiently...:)**

 **Until Next Time...**

 **~Manika**


	5. Chapter 5

**Posted on: 26/05/17**

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 **A/N: Hey guys! It's been so long..eh..hem..It's been sooooooo long XD**

 **Anyways, I didn't update because of my exams. I have one exam still left. It's on the 27th but since it's an easy one, I decided to work on this.**

 **After writing all those fluffy and hot scenes in 30 Kisses in April, it was really hard to get into the atmosphere of this story. You see, this one will have a sort of darkness looming around it. So, it took me a while.**

 **Though I'm still not satisfied with this chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it and leave a constructive review :3**

 **ENJOY!**

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 **Chapter 5: Assumptions**

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"You want me to do what?" Shirayuki asked the second prince in a very concerned tone.

The boy sighed and shook his head at her, "It's like I said: I want you to jump down this railing right after me."

Because of the firmness of his tone, Shirayuki found no room for argument. It's almost as if it was the charisma of the prince within him that was speaking to her. But seriously, jumping down the railing of the second floor is not something one does on a regular basis.

"And why can't we take the usual route?" She questioned suspiciously.

"Because it's faster this way." He replied in a matter-of-fact sort of tone.

Faster?! What the hell! Please someone tell her that he is joking. Well..the sincere look in his eyes says that he isn't. With the only plausible point that came into her mind, she retorted, "What if I fall?"

"You won't because I'll catch you." He spoke with so much confidence in his eyes that she found herself almost giving into the ridiculous idea. _Almost_.

"Well what if you don't!" She tried to argue anyway.

"Huh!" He shook his and looked down at the ground, not even trying to meet her gaze.

She had started to think that maybe this man who is shockingly the second prince of Clarines, has finally decided to give-up on his foolish idea. But just as she was about to release a breath of relief, he moved and in the next instant, she felt him snake an arm around her waist. She yelped when he used that same arm on her waist to pull her back flush against his own torso. No one even needs to guess what happened next. The prince literally jumped-off the railing along with her. And to her immense surprise, they landed fluidly without even so much as a scratch on their skin.

He let out a breath which passed the skin below her ear, tickling it. And for a reason unknown, she felt her heart skip a beat. When the prince himself felt her uneasiness, he realised that he was still holding her by the waist and immediately let go.

Waving his hands before his face, he apologised, "I'm so sorry!" She saw a blush colouring his features and wondered if she has been talking to the wrong guy for this whole time. Is he actually a Prince?

Coughing to hide his embarrassment, he spoke again, "Well then..let's head towards the infirmary."

"Umm..okay." She nodded and followed him out.

.

.

If Shirayuki was confused in the beginning, then she is flabbergasted at this very moment. The second prince of Clarines is actually trying to evade the guards inside his very _own_ castle! Yes! He is literally crouching next to a huge column and waiting for the guards to pass this corridor. Seriously, something about him being a prince doesn't seem right. Just as she opened her mouth to confront him about his rather _weird activities_ , he pulled her by the wrist and caged her between himself and the column. She tried speaking again but he placed his palm smack over her lips to shut her up.

Because of that month that Shirayuki was forced to spend inside a brothel, in the company of millions of men touching and groping her all over, she is unable to keep herself from fidgeting whenever she is touched by someone of the opposite sex. And this is exactly why she is feeling so uneasy by the proximity of the second prince. Ofcourse it is silly..since only a few minutes ago she willingly placed her palm in the prince's but still.. It is really hard for her to cope with a man's touch when she is so afraid of them.

But since the young prince doesn't know about her problem, he scowled in offence on seeing her cringe-y movements. And as the guards passed them by, he let go of her wrists, pulled away from her and continued his trek in the general direction of the infirmary, the scowl never leaving his face.

* * *

Prince Zen Wistaria is completely at a loss of words. The girl wasn't lying when she told him that she is an herbalist. The minute she entered this pharmacy, she swiftly began searching for the required ingredients and she isn't even taking long with her search as she knows exactly which ones she has to pick-up from the endless array of vials and bottles. Okay, so its settled that she _really_ is an herbalist. But then, why was an herbalist..eh hem..a very beautiful herbalist with long, creamy legs ordered to be in his room? Maybe his brother actually has a heart and wanted his wounds to be taken care of as soon as he returned to his bedchamber? Naah! He immediately snickered at having such a ridiculous thought. Out of all the possible reasons, _this_ definitely cannot be the one. Also, she _may_ know some things about medicines but that doesn't prove anything. She is still wearing a rather sexually-suggestive, white dress with red laces that are of the same colour as her beautiful hair and is showing-off those legs— those long, creamy legs along which he would love to run his hands and feel the smoothness as he-

He bit his tongue when he realised where his thoughts were leading him to and immediately tried to focus his attention towards something far more productive than a mesmerising girl and her equally appealing legs. Yet no matter how hard he tried, his sapphire gaze kept swimming back towards her lithe and lovely form. Wait! That dress..isn't she feeling cold in that skimpy, little thing?

And just as he thought about it, his eyes began noticing the way her body was shivering slightly due to the cool temperature of the night. She was puffing-out air while trying to prepare some kind of poultice. Damn! He didn't even notice! How can he be such an idiot?! Moreover, what should he do?

* * *

It may look like she was busy grinding some herbs but Shirayuki was very well-aware of the steady gaze of the second prince on her form. The way his eyes remained glued over her was not giving her the best of vibes. She felt disgusted by it. Her young friend Mei used to tell her about a few actions which indicate that a man wants to sleep with you and gazing at a woman's body without even flicking their eyes happens to be a part of the list of one of those actions. And here she had finally begun thinking that maybe Prince Zen isn't bad..that maybe he is actually different from all those men with lecherous minds that she had witnessed during those events at the brothel. Turns out that she was wrong in her judgement...

She increased the pressure of the roller and started grinding even more harshly than before to keep herself from lashing out at him. Heh! As if she can... Even if she somehow gathers enough courage to raise her voice against him, she is still scared of the consequences of her actions. She remembers being defiant infront of Prince Raji and that only earned her a bruising slap from his guard. Who knows how Prince Zen will treat her for misbehaving with him? Maybe he'll be even worse than Prince Raji?..

She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped when she felt something warm and heavy around her shoulders. It was Prince Zen ofcourse. Shirayuki gulped in fear. Maybe he somehow read her mind and now knows what she was thinking about him and is going to hit her for her actions? Yes! This is exactly what he is going to do. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact of his hand to come. It never _did_. Fearfully she peeked up only to find the second prince of Clarines wrapping his heavy overcoat around her smaller shoulders. The gut feeling of being hit by him vanished and she sucked in a breath of relief.

Their gazes met again and he explained, "It's very cold out here."

And all that she could do, was nod her head meekly and watch him return to his position on the previously occupied chair.

Seems like..the Prince isn't all that bad afterall...

.

.

Minutes later, Shirayuki followed the Prince back towards his bedroom, trying her best to ignore his evasive behaviour towards his own Castle's guards.

Once inside, she placed all of the medicines that she had bought with her on the bedside table and turned towards the prince. By now, he was heaving with exhaustion and pain. He needs immediate treatment.

"Your highness..can you please take-off your shirt?" She requested, as respectfully as she could and rushed towards the only other room attached to his bedroom, completely ignoring his blush. Just as she had guessed, the other room was the prince's personal wash. She scanned the whole place, her eyes searching for a few requirements and she returned as soon as she found them.

Usually Zen would've argued with anyone asking him to do something like that but currently, there is no time for him to play around. So, without much ado, he began unbuttoning his shirt and threw it in some corner once he was done taking it off. He saw her drop the bucket she had been holding in her hands and stare at him in horror. Thankfully, the bucket landed properly and no water fell out. But Shirayuki didn't even take note of it as her eyes were way too busy counting the number of scars on his skin _because_ there were just so many. And hid fresh wounds weren't any less eye-catching. There was a laceration mark running along from his nape towards his chest, where a long cut was already bleeding him out. Aside from those two, there were other minor cuts and bruises that ran all over his torso and she gasped in fright. He has been moving around with such grave injuries for so long and he didn't even flinch. Instead, he freed her of the chain tying her to the bed, talked to her to ease her mind and even took her to the infirmary and back without complaining about his wounds even once. This man..Prince Zen..he..he is nothing like Prince Raji from her home country.

Zen watched her as the worried look in her beautiful emeralds was alighted by a determined one all of a sudden and she doused a towel into the warm water of that bucket. She kneeled down before him and began cleaning all the blood and grime from his skin as gently as she could and he kept staring at her face that was slowly contorting into a serious expression.

When she began applying the antiseptic over the lacerations, he spoke without even realising it, "This wound..one of the bandits at Raxd attacked me with a bladed-chain. He landed a pretty strong hit along my nape.."

"Pretty strong, you say?" She mumbled in a scolding-tone as she worked on applying a layer of her freshly prepared salve. He pouted and looked away.

But just as her dainty hands reached the deep, cut mark, he decided to talk again. She has no idea how relieving it is to tell about this to someone, so he decided to tell her. "The leader of those bandits tried to kill me with his sword."

She sighed as she began wrapping his wound with a gauze and bandages, "Your Highness, you mustn't talk about these heinous wounds as if you are making remarks about the weather."

"So what if I do? They are just.. _cuts_." He stated, casually shrugging his shoulders.

She giggled humourlessly, "These cuts hurt you.."

He released a long sigh and asked her with a playful smile, "Well then, would you like to hear how _I_ hurt those bandits?"

"No.." She answered within a beat, "I'm not much of a fan of bloodshed and gore."

He shook his head and watched her apply the same medicinal things over the other cuts and bruises on his torso, her fingers tingling his skin ever so slightly. He wants to pay no attention to her but for some excruciatingly annoying reason, his eyes remained fixated upon her and he watched her treat his wounds like some expert. When done with all the tasks, she wiped her forehead by the back of her hand and his gaze caught the self-inflicted injury on it. Immediately, his eyes widened at her stupidity and he grabbed her wrist, flashing it before her face.

"You forgot this one." He stated.

"Oh! I did." She grinned sheepishly and began working on her own wound.

His eyes widened, "How can you forget your own wound?! Doesn't that cut _hurt_?" He mocked by repeating her own words.

"It does.." She smiled politely at his remark, "As a matter of fact, it hurts very much but..your highness, your wounds were far more crucial than mine." She explained, all the while trying to avoid his unwavering gaze. _Seriously, why does he even care?_

The young prince stared at her as she cleaned her injury. This girl..how can she prioritise others and completely forget about her own self? She has just met him and is showing more concern for him than any of his acquaintances or his elder brother ever do. Something really isn't right with her...At times she acts like she completely can't believe him but then, she puts his needs before herself. _Why?_

He would like to dwell about the events that have occurred within this past hour but he'd like to do it in the company of his refreshing bath. "I'll go clean-up now." He told her as he walked-off towards the wash.

Instantly she reached out with her palm and caught his wrist. A very bold move for someone so low in status than him. And a rather bold move from a woman at that. As a female, she has always been told to behave gracefully and be gentle in her moves..always been ordered around.. But this man right before her..he is the first person who has actually treated her like an equal and has shown her some level of kindness since this past month. In addition to this, she has just patched him up and he is going to spoil the effect of all those salves and bandages if he now goes in to clean up. And so, she stopped him.

"What now?" He asked in a agitated tone.

"Your Highness, by taking a bath you will completely spoil the effect of all those medicines acting on your wounds." She reasoned.

He shrugged her hand away, "It'll be fine."

"But..Your Highness, you must be really tired. You should be sleeping by now and-"

"It's alright." He muttered.

"Zen!" She called out loudly before she could even stop her tongue.

Shocked by the sudden use of his name, he turned around to face her. No commoner has ever dared to address him by his name. And yet, this girl just did. What a bold move! She keeps surprising him again and again. He has never seen any woman like her in Clarines. There is something different about her. As he tried to meet her eyes, she bowed her head down in embarrassment and fear. Bending her knees in a different position, she genuflected before him.

"I-I..I am extremely sorry for my rudeness, Your Highness. It-It will never happen again.." She admitted sincerely and waited for some kind of punishment to come.

But the prince surprised her again when he snickered and bent down to her level. Puffing out a breath, he shook his head and tried to catch her eyes, "You _really_ are intriguing."

When she remained bowed, he lifted his hands up, feigning defeat as he spoke, "Alright! I surrender, Shirayuki."

"Huh?" She finally looked up at him in confusion.

Grabbing her by the wrist, he dragged her towards his huge bed, "I'll not take a bath..I'll go to sleep.. _but_ only if you join me."

She tried to ignore the smug smirk he was flashing her and waved her hands in dismissal, "No! It's fine!"

"You need the sleep just as much as I do." He stated firmly.

She shook her head, "Your Highness, it's _your_ bed and-"

"Well if its like that," he began, gazing directly into her eyes, "...then I, Prince Zen Wistaria, the second prince of Clarines, am ordering you to sleep." He commanded and dragged her onto the bed sheets along with him.

"Wait! Please..your highne-" she was completely ignored and a comforter was dropped on top of her face.

"If there's anything else you'd like to say, then you'll have to call me by my name." He teased, knowing very well that she'll never do that again.

Sighing heavily, she decided to ignore his smug attitude and gave in. Shifting more comfortably onto the bed, she snuggled herself into the warmth of the comforter. But right when she closed her eyes, a very disturbing thought crossed her mind: She is supposed to be the second prince's concubine and do as he pleases. And currently, she is sharing a bed with him, which is indeed an activity that a concubine does on a regular basis but..only after doing _that_ (she is actually glad that they aren't doing anything like it) _._ Blushing to herself, she wondered if the prince's elder brother has already told him about this this and currently, he is only acting ignorant. Or maybe..he _really_ has no idea about her purpose here? Either ways, she is glad for the huge size of this bed because atleast it provides her with the privilege of being able to sleep comfily without worrying about invading the prince's personal space. There is a considerable distance between them and it is a very reassuring thing for Shirayuki.

Still..keeping the details about her presence here a secret, is extremely exhausting for her thoughts and she doesn't want to feel guilty when the prince has been treating her with such generosity. She licked her lips and opened her mouth to discuss this matter, "Um..excuse me, Your Highness. There is-"

"If you need water, then it is right there on the side table.." He muttered sleepily, "..but if you want to talk about something else..something long and full of details, then it can wait till the morning cuz I'm dead tired..."

She heard a long yawning sound next and smiled. If this is what he wishes for, then so be it. She must go to sleep as well. Tomorrow morning, she will definitely explain everything to him. With that thought settled in her mind, she closed her tired eyelids and entered the realm of dreams where she witnessed herself free and smiling, no shackles holding her back..no chains tying her down...

.

.

.

When the first rays of sunlight lingered upon her form, she fluttered her eyes open and smiled. But just as she turned the other way, she found the remaining half of the bed empty. There were no signs of the second prince's presence anywhere in the room..not even the bath. Then she felt the rush of the morning breeze touch her skin and her eyes noticed the ajar doorway that leads to the balcony. Nobody was there either..Prince Zen was gone..he had left her alone...

* * *

 **A/N: Zen is gone! Can anyone guess where and why?**

 **By now, you all must have noticed that every chapter's title in this book is single-worded. It's a kind of challenge that I've taken up for myself..y'know..to use just one word to describe the whole chapter.**

 **Here the title 'Assumptions' dimply means that after their first encounter, both Zen and Shirayuki are trying to figure out each-other and basing their personalities according to their own assumptions about the other.**

 **Well..enough with my blabbering, I'll update soon if I get reviews on this chapter.**

 **Review|Follow|Share**

 **Until Next Time...**

 **~Manika**


	6. Chapter 6

**Posted on: 11/06/17**

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 **A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. All your comments are what keep me inspired to continue writing. And ofcourse! My love for Zenyuki ;)**

 **So, here's the 6th chapter of this twisted tale.**

 **Hope you guys will enjoy! Don't forget to leave reviews..:3**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Argument**

* * *

Prince Zen is gone and Shirayuki has absolutely no idea what to do. At first, she guessed that he must have simply left to start with his daily activities as a _Prince_ but then, her eyes landed upon the door and she saw the latch that was properly locked.. _from the inside_. And she can only remember him doing it after their return from the pharmacy. She sat their in the room, patiently awaiting his return except he did not. She heard no words from him after that one fateful encounter in the middle of the night...

But its not just him. Even the palace guards and maids never showed-up to check his room, which is a very pressing matter considering the fact that it's a prince's room. Don't people care about his well-being? It's literally been two days since he left and no one ever came to check upon the younger prince's locked doors. And when she went out herself, the guards from before threw her back in, saying that she can only leave that room if the prince asks her to. They didn't even hear any of her reasoning. Well..seems like the condition of women is no different here in Clarines..

And Shirayuki..she isn't even in the state to contemplate about his leave anymore. She hasn't had a grain of food ever since her departure from Tanbarun and it's having negative effects on her already thin frame. Anger is the second thing that she is feeling. Not because of the second prince but at the fact that she dared to trust another human being after getting such a hard slap of betrayal from her grandparents' good friend, Kino. She has experienced betrayal before and it's her fault that she didn't learn from her past mistakes. Just because some kindness was shown to her, she treated that prince's wounds and even smiled at him when in truth, the man doesn't even deserve a look at her face.

A cool wave of the morning air touched her nape and she huddled more into the overcoat that surprisingly, was still wrapped around her form. Turns out she slept wearing it? She raised her hands up to her eye-level and saw her thin arms peeking out of the long sleeves. Oookay.. She may have slept with the prince's coat around her body but she doesn't remember actually wearing it. Did the prince do it? _But..why?!_ Well..even if he did it, it really doesn't matter..not much anyway...

* * *

Downing another mug of the strong beer, he slammed the glass mug on the counter. A sigh escaped his lips and he grinned. He hasn't felt this alive in a while. Ever since his brother sentenced him to the work at Raxd, he hasn't had the time to be himself. Atleast now that he is finally out of the confining walls of that huge castle, he can loiter around the city and drink beer till he is completely sozzled. It's not that he hates the castle. Afterall, the castle is the place where he was born and brought-up..the place where he was taught how one is supposed to behave when they are second in line for the crown. No, he doesn't hate his brother either. He just hates the fact that he is always going to be the _second_. His mother once told him how such thoughts are what lead to jealousy and treachery and ultimately War...

"Alright Zen, I think its time for us to head back." A silvery, sea-green haired man spoke in a feeble tone.

Zen Wistaria passed a glare at his male aide and turned towards the bartender. "Another one!" He ordered.

And another mug of fresh beer was placed before his eagerly awaiting hand. He wrapped his gloved-palm around the utensil and picked it up to take a sip. As the burning liquid trickled down his throat, he sighed in satisfaction.

"You know what it _is_ like inside that castle." The Prince mumbled into the mug.

"And..how long do you plan on using this excuse?" His second aide— a woman with sandy-blonde hair and indigo eyes who goes by the name of Kiki Seiran asked.

Most of the time Kiki expresses herself rather curtly. She isn't one to beat around the bush and speaks to the second prince as if she is talking to her own younger sibling. This is one of the reasons why her partner Mitsuhide relies so much on her. And this brevity is the sole reason that the second prince respects her so much. It's not easy for women to get into the royal army but thanks to her skills, the prince chose to keep her as his second aide. But her words are starting to make the prince take his words back.

"Kiki.." Zen muttered, his expression shadowed because of his bowed head, " _You have no idea_." He emphasised every word in a low but dangerous tone.

"But Zen-"

The prince interrupted his aides as he pushed the stool back and stood up from his comfortable perch. He knows that he mustn't behave like some rash idiot but he did and angrily threw the mug in his palm. It went flying above several ducked-heads, finally crashing onto a lone man's table. The man who had been solemnly eating his pork till now, stood up and stomped towards the young prince.

"You lookin for a fight!" The man yelled in Zen's face and grabbed onto his collar.

Too bad the man has no idea about who he is talking to or else he wouldn't have dared lay a hand on the prince. But it is because of the fact that only a few people recognise him by his face that he chooses to loiter around the local streets of his country. The less people know his real identity, the more they treat him like a normal civilian, which he appreciates a lot. So, as the man grabbed onto his collar and sneered at him, he only smirked.

"I'm very irritated right now.." Pulling back his sleeves, Zen spoke, "..so yeah, I'll fight!"

Immediately a punch came at his face but he blocked it efficiently(thanks to his training as a royalty). A bottle of brandy was thrown at him at the same instant and it is in times like these that he loves to have his aides by his side. Kiki countered the speedily approaching bottle with her own glass of wine. The collision of the two ended up with a nasty shattering noise as the glass shards went flying all over. Mitsuhide sweep kicked the man standing before Zen and thus, commenced another one of the bar fights of the second prince and his two faithful aides.

.

.

Gritting his teeth so as to endure the pain, Zen pulled out the last piece of broken glass stuck in his hand as they left the messed-up bar. A woman from the bar practically jammed those glass shards into his hand in the midst of the fight. He sneered when the pain began crawling-up his arm. Damn! How come he's the only one who ended-up getting injured?! He gazed at the blood oozing out from his skin and the red of the fluid made his vision blur. All of a sudden the image of a beautiful girl with red hair and striking, emerald irises flashed before his sight. Envisioning her made him smile slightly and he wondered if she'll still be there in his room when he gets back. Maybe she can patch-up these injuries on his arm.

"What's with that creepy smile?" Kiki asked from behind him.

The young prince coughed and decided to ignore the question thrown at him. The two aides of the man shrugged their shoulders at each-other and they continued walking down the path in order to finally head back to the castle.

.

.

On their arrival at the castle, the second prince entered through his usually preferred route— the gate of the Poets. Yes! Instead of going in and out through the Starlight Gate, Zen uses this gate as it makes him feel more at ease. It also avoids people from learning about his return to the castle unless ofcourse, he wants them to learn. It is always better this way because if the court officials hear about his presence at the castle, they begin nagging him to work harder when in reality they just want to turn him into an exact replica of his elder brother. But he doesn't want to be like his brother. Not even in the least.

"Welcome back, your highness." Kai Ulkir, the younger one of the two guards stationed at the gate, eagerly greeted the second prince with a bow.

"Yeah.." Zen muttered, "Do me a favour and don't inform even a single soul about my return."

Shiira Eigan bowed at the request made by the young prince, "As you wish, your highness." Due to his position as the senior of Kai, he tries to act a bit more serious around the people passing through this gate when in reality he is just as playful as his partner.

Nodding once to the duo, Zen walked in through the gates and immediately strayed from the usual walk in through the doors. He disappeared behind the backside of the castle and Mitsuhide could only sigh at how troublesome his master _can_ be some times. Both he and Kiki passed in through the main doors, leaving Zen to do whatever he wants. Well, they know that the young prince is only going to sneakily enter his room through the balcony.

.

.

Zen easily jumped in through the railing and landed without any scratch onto the flooring of the balcony attached to his room. Firstly, he'll take a relaxing soak in his personal bath and then he'll sleep in for the whole day. Later on, during the night, he'll walk around the premises of the castle and made his presence known to the people working here.

But just as he stepped inside his room to initiate his well-planned activities, his eyes landed upon the figure on his bed. With the knees folded and head resting atop it, sat the girl he had met two days ago in his room. He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating under the effects of the numerous mugs of beer that he had chugged-down. Sadly, even after rubbing his eyelids, the sight didn't change. The red-haired beauty from before was sitting right there on his bed, as still as a doll. On his way back to the castle, he wished to see her but he didn't think that it would actually _be_ granted!

"Hey!" He greeted cheerfully but the girl didn't respond. It was the same person but..something was odd about her.

He inched closer and kneeled down next to the bed. "Is everything alright?" He asked with concern.

A dry giggle left her pale lips and the girl finally shot her head up. Zen took in the tear-streaks covering her lovely face and the dullness of her emeralds. He deduced that she has been crying for a while now. But the most interesting thing is: _Why is she still here?_

"So now you're concerned?" She giggled again, "Concerned..che..after leaving me here all by myself.." Tilting her head down, she faced him directly, "You know it's been two days since you left..."

"Shirayuki-"

"Pardon me your highness but I don't want you to address me by my name!" She raised her voice and fresh tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"Why didn't you leave?" He asked in confusion, his hands trembling to wipe away those tears but he restrained himselves for he somehow knew that she wouldn't approve.

"Why didn't I leave?" She repeated his words in mock humour.

A sigh left her pale lips as she stood up from the bed and Zen noticed that she was still in that same white dress that he had seen her wearing two days ago. He himself stood back up and followed her until she stopped, her back facing him.

"Do you even _know_ why I'm _here_?" She questioned suspiciously.

"What?" He scrunched his brows and frowned, "What does _this_ mean?"

Another dry giggle escaped her lips as she spoke, "Ohh! So your brother approved of this arrangement and he didn't even tell you."

"What are you talking about?!" He yelled in irritation.

"You seriously don't know.." She shook her head in disappointment and continued, "I'm supposed to serve you as your concubine." She spat the last word with venom dripping from her tone.

This time, it was his turn to laugh and he did, equally humourlessly. "So what? You're an herbalist _and_ a concubine?"

"I'm _not_ a concubine!" She whirled around to face him and he saw the tears endlessly streaming down her eyelids, "Atleast..I wasn't.."

Shirayuki was so angry at the moment that she was unable to act sensibly. She has been bottling-up all the rage and sorrow within her small frame ever since two days so it is hard for her to keep it in check anymore. It is now bursting out and she cannot stop herself.

"And you!" She pointed an accusatory finger at him, "I trusted you..thought you were different.." She lowered her head in sadness, "..you fooled me! You treated me kindly and I began believing in you! And then..you left me! All by myself and now you have come back after two days straight!-"

"Well _you_ have no idea why I left!" He cut in, "You know nothing about me and just when I return you start judging me. You think- Shirayuki!"

He ran forwards to catch her before her body could hit the floor. When he looked down at her, he found that she had passed out. It's strange..since only a second ago she had been yelling at him. Now that he is so close to her form, he noticed how frail she looked in comparison to two days before. There were dark circles underneath her eyes, indicating that she hasn't even slept properly and her skin was turning pale by every passing minute...

On their first meeting, she introduced herself to him as an herbalist. And today she's calling herself his concubine. _His!_ Plus, she even stated that his brother knows about all of this. Zen has absolutely no idea of what is going on around here and there's only one person who can provide answers for all of his doubts— his elder brother Izana.

Standing up with Shirayuki in his arms, he unlocked the door of his room and walked out, immediately rushing towards the pharmacy. First, he'll get her checked-up and then, he will pay a visit to his brother...

* * *

 **A/N: So yeah..we all know that Zen just can't stand the walls of the castle and he sneaked out without telling Shirayuki..XD**

 **But what do you guys think of the whole bar scene? Zen is always loitering around the streets of his country, so there's no doubt that he occasionally visits a bar, right?**

 **Plus, they argued and Shirayuki passed out since she hasn't eaten anything for long now.**

 **Let me warn you..this isn't going to be a goody-goody tale like the usual. This story is going to be slightly dark and I hope dear readers that you are prepared for it...**

 **More angst in the coming chapters. This is going to be a very dramatic, slow-burn love story.**

 **Brace Yourselves! XD**

 **Until Next Time...**

 **~Manika**


	7. Chapter 7

**Posted on: 07/07/17**

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 **A/N: Finally got the time to post this! My pc had crashed and my phone's app isn't working either. So I had to wait for 3 entire days for my laptops's repair. THANK GOODNESS!**

 **This chapter is dedicated to my newest readers Mina, zoeb91 and Raggetymanftw. Thank you so much for your review..:)**

 **Oh! Kana nishizono and little blossom, I am so glad to have two Zenyuki shippers from my country. Are you guys on fb/tumblr. We can have a nice chat there, if you are comfortable with that :3**

 **Also, to all the people who take their time out just to drop a feedback, thank you so so so much! You guys have no idea how much it means..  
** ***Hugs and Kisses to all the readers of this fanfic***

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Game**

* * *

When Shirayuki blinked her eyes open, she found herself in an entirely different environment. She has stayed in the prince's room for so long that she can easily guess it's an unknown place. Wait. The Prince...She immediately shot-up when the fragments of her last conversation with the second prince of Clarines began flashing before her mind's eyes. A sharp, reeling sort of sensation hit her and she clutched onto her forehead to stop the painful ache.

"Oh my! Are you alright?"

"You shouldn't be up. Lay down.."

Two distinct voices instructed her and she complied as a pair of palms gently pushed her back into the soft mattresses. She closed her eyes as her head touched the pillow and took a few breaths to calm her rapidly beating heart. This time, she opened her eyes slowly and tried to take in the appearance of the two strangers standing by her side, watching her with calculative gazes. One of them was a tall, blonde woman with purple irises. She was holding a notepad against her chest and next to her stood a rather short, turquoise-orbed, little boy of around 12 years of age.

Panic began surging through her and she asked in a shaky tone, "Where am I? Who..Who are you people?!"

The blonde woman smiled, as if she already anticipated such a reaction from her and lightly patted her head. "Calm down, dear. The prince brought you here." She informed.

"Here," spoke the little boy, "drink this and you'll feel better.."

Although a bit suspicious, she pulled herself up into a sitting position and took the offered cup from the kid's hand and in doing so, she noticed that she was adorning a different dress now. That skimpy, white corset was gone and she is glad that someone actually took the liberty to dress her up in some decent clothes. Finally, she took a sip of the contents in the utensil and it made her realise that there wasn't anything to harm her body but a lavender tea that is most commonly used to provide calming effects. Desperately, she took a few more sips.

Pleased by her action, the blonde woman fished through the pocket of her coat for a while and on finding the object of her interest, handed it to Shirayuki. They were a few leaves from the chrysanthemum parthenium plant. They are mostly used to ease headaches. Chewing on the raw leaves of that plant, she began sipping the tea periodically.

"Shirayuki, right?" The woman asked, "Thank goodness you are awake. The prince was so worried about you.."

Shirayuki choked on the tea when she heard that admission from the lady. Worried? _The Prince_? From what she can recall, _that_ man is the one responsible for her current state. Nonetheless, she didn't respond in any form and continued to listen to the woman.

She further explained, "You have been unconscious for about seven hours now. Let us bring you some food."

Placing the notepad in the arms of the little boy, she called out, "Yatsufusa!"

Immediately, a lean man wearing a bandanna that covered his eyes, walked in through the doors. He bowed once to the lady.

"Go and inform his highness that the girl is awake." She ordered.

The man left with another respectful nod at the woman.

* * *

Zen's dark sapphires narrowed as they went through the words scribbled-down on the small piece of parchment in his hand. And by the time he reached the end of the message, he crushed it in anger. This is unbelievable! He knows that his brother gets some sort of weird pleasure by playing with his head but this has gone way too far. It is just as that red-haired girl had stated to him: she _is_ supposed to be his concubine. According to this letter from his elder brother, she is a special gift to him from the first prince of the neighbouring country. Just the thought of presenting something like this disgusts him. How could his brother approve of this without his consent in the matter?!

"What is it?" Kiki asked in her usual passive tone from one corner of the room.

Zen respects her straightforward personality. It is one of the reasons why he chose her, a _woman_ , as his second aide. But that doesn't mean that she can just add oil to his already sizzling mood.

In a raging tone, he answered his blonde chaperone, "He's gone!"

"What?" muttered Mitsuhide in confusion from the other end of the room.

"My brother! He's gone!" Zen yelled agitatedly, "He left for the Eastern Fortress with just this little message that confirms everything that girl had told me.."

"You mean?" Mitsuhide implied as his eyes widened just as much as did Kiki's.

"Yes! She is..she is.." Zen tried to finish the sentence but he found himself unable to utter that last word for he hates such treatment with women just as much as that girl.

"So..what now?" Kiki asked, her concern for her master barely visible in her tone.

The instant Zen moved his lips to answer her query, a soft knock was heard on the door. The three occupants of the room turned towards the door as the prince allowed entrance to whoever the person on the other end was.

Clicking open the door, entered a normal patrolling guard. He genuflected before the prince and informed, "Pardon my intrusion, your highness. The girl has regained her consciousness."

Nodding once, the young prince dismissed the guard. Without exchanging any words amongst each-other, the trio walked out of the room and headed in the direction of the pharmacy. Zen hasn't thought this through but he has a general idea of what he must do in such a situation. But before taking any necessary actions, he needs the permission of the victim herself.

* * *

Upon reaching the pharmacy, the castle's head pharmacist, Garack Gazelt explained Zen about all the actions and behaviour of the girl. "Your highness..the cause of her sudden fainting is malnutrition. According to our test results, she _may_ have not eaten anything for three complete days.."

"Three days?!" He exclaimed with irritation, Mitsuhide and Kiki equally shocked.

Garack lowered her head slightly, "Uh..and um..she hasn't said a word ever since she woke-up and is still refusing to eat anything..."

Sighing haggardly, Zen passed a hand through his hair, his eyes narrowing with worry for the girl. She is so young..just like him and yet, she is receiving such harsh treatment from this society. He can totally understand why she isn't eating anything because after suffering this much, anyone would lose their appetite.

He brought his hand out and asked, "Give me the tray of food. I'll talk to her." Yatsufusa handed the tray to his highness Zen and the three pharmacists stepped aside for the prince to walk in. He turned the knob with one hand and looked back at his chaperones, "You two stay here as well. I'll call you guys if I need anything."

"As you wish, your highness." Both of them bowed and let the prince go in alone.

* * *

The first thing that he noticed about her, was her dishevelled state. She was wearing a simple blue dress and her lovely, red tresses were freely cascading down her shoulders. Even if frail, she looked like the prettiest woman around. He walked with his chin straight, a smile plastered on his face to make her feel comfortable.

On the contrary, she frowned when she realised who the person attending her was. As he reached her side, she snuggled more into the bed. Ignoring her discomfort with a neutral face, he placed the tray on the small bedside table, himself pulling out a chair to sit infront of her.

"I see you're extremely quiet." He commented as he sat down.

She made no response, either verbally or physically. She just sat there, watching him nonchalantly.

"The Chief Pharmacist told me that you haven't eaten anything in these three days.." He said as he blew out his breath on a spoon full of the freshly-prepared soup and then brought it close to her lips. "Sip it in." He commanded gently but she refused by turning her face to the side.

He sighed and shook his head. "Look, I know.."

She chuckled bitterly just like the last time they had talked. "You are the one responsible for my present unhealthy state. You left me all alone in that lavish room of yours for two days!" Tears began brimming her beautiful emeralds yet again and Zen's fingers twitched to wipe them away. But he controlled himself..He knows that she wouldn't approve.

A sob left her quivering lips as she continued, "You think you can just act kind, leave me alone and then come back to pretend being a nice person all over again?! Well your highness, I am not that foolish..I have experienced betrayal and I know what you are trying to do.."

Zen could only bite the insides of his cheeks as he tried to think for another method of approaching her. This conversation isn't going as he had planned it in his head while he was on his way here. If only he had talked to her about her presence in his room on their very first encounter, then maybe..maybe things would've been different between them..maybe they would've even been friends..

He resorted to the last option that he was left with— an apology.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke in the most convincing tone that he could muster, "I'm sorry.."

There was short pause in the silent room which was followed by a sharp, whacking noise. The spoon in the prince's hand went clattering to the floor and broke. It was Shirayuki's hand that had slapped Zen right across his cheek. The door to the room was immediately unlocked by the two aides of the prince and they rushed in.

"Your Highness!" Mitsuhide called with concern.

The aides gaped when they heard a low, dark sort of chuckle escape the lips of their master. The silverette's face was still turned to the side and he continued chuckling eerily. "Atleast you haven't lost your emotions entirely. You can still express anger so nicely..."

"Have you no shame at all?" Shirayuki glared at him, his face shadowed by his silvery-white locks. "I..I just slapped you.."

"You-"

Zen signalled for Mitsuhide to halt his words. He pressed his lips together into a tight smile and looked-up at the red-haired beauty, who was now staring confusedly at him. "I deserved that.."

The young woman's eyes widened and she found herself at a loss of words. "Will you eat now?" The prince asked her in a low, raspy tone.

As he had expected, her eyes narrowed yet again, "I will not. I won't eat anything you offer me..and I won't accept your apology...I will not forgive you for what you did to me!"

He laughed dryly as he stroked his bruising cheek, "You know..I'm actually being nice here.."

"I'd rather be treated like your concubine than receiving your fake generosity." She responded with hostility.

Zen placed the thumb and fingers of his gloved hand over his forehead and began massaging. Seriously, if only his brother had informed him about all this then the whole matter wouldn't have twisted to this extent and maybe, he wouldn't have gone through with this argumentative conversation. This girl has no idea what she's getting herself into. She may have played like this with other people but she mustn't underestimate him due to her experiences. This _is_ a game afterall— a game to test his limits..And two can play at this...

"Well then..Mitsuhide, Kiki, ask a few maids to take care of _my precious concubine_. Make sure she eats healthy, sleeps properly and doesn't try anything funny." Zen ordered, his intimidating sapphires gazing directly into her disbelieving emeralds. " _And_..if she so much as tries to disagree, she'll have to face the wrath of the second prince himself."

* * *

 **A/N: Too dramatic? Hehe XD**

 **They aren't going to be buddy-buddy so easily. It takes time..**

 **Please review the chapter as it keeps a writer motivated.**

 **Some angsty Zenyuki moments in the next chapter ;)**

 **Until Next Time...**

 **~Manika**


	8. Chapter 8

**Edited on: 31/10/17**

 **Posted on: 18/07/17**

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 **A/N: Ah! Finally, I found some time to update this fic. For the past days, me and fellow writer Whitehorse102 (Yes! The writer of 'Above and Below Surface' and 'You who cut my chains') have been working together to organise and hold a 'Zenyuki Week'. Yippie! X3**

 **Check it out if you guys are interested. There's a surprise event that will let all of you participate, even if you aren't a writer or an artist. So just head over to 'thezenyukiweek' on tumblr for further details…:3**

 **Now then, here's the 8** **th** **chapter of Bending the ways of Fate, since people were requesting for an update :)**

 ***WARNING***

 **Long chapter ahead xD**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Adjustments**

* * *

With the first specks of sunlight that tried to peek in through the small gap left by the window curtains, he rubbed his eyes and sat-up drowsily. After spending a complete minute on a long yawn and stretching his limbs, he turned his head to the side, his sapphires immediately falling onto the soundly asleep girl in his bed. It's been five days since that time she had slapped him inside the infirmary and truth be told, he needed that.. Tentatively, he stroked the few red strands that were obscuring her beautiful face and smiled down at her peacefully sleeping form. She is a very interesting girl to say the least. To say the _most_..she is an eye-opener. The way that she refused his free luxuries speaks just how much of an independent person she _is_. For some reason, she doesn't enjoy being spoilt like the other women he has known. He must've felt insulted by this and yet he doesn't. It takes a lot more than just guts to reject a royalty's offers. He'll give her that. But still, she isn't the only player in this twisted game of hers'..

He _may_ be unable to have complete power over her but he has still managed to control her actions to some extent by actually accepting her as his concubine. She is free to do everything according to her wishes, the only condition being that she'll sleep in his room. She is way too stubborn to listen to anyone (just like him) and this is the best way to keep the men in the castle from leering at her. Had they been on friendlier terms then he wouldn't have needed to resort to such methods for her security. Sighing heavily, he left his bed, took a quick bath, dressed appropriately and closed the door behind him, all the while making sure to not awaken her from her slumber.

Instead of walking towards his office, he headed in the general direction of the library. And just like every morning, he found the little boy genius reading one of those heavy texts that discuss poisons. The boy stopped midway to bow before the second prince in respect. The young prince in turn, bowed-back with a fond smile.

"Here again, Your Highness?" asked the bandanna-sporting, assistant of the chief pharmacist. The man was rearranging old and new books in their respective sections, his senior nowhere in sight. Well, she isn't much of a morning person and must be still lazying in her bedsheets.

"Yes" The prince answered in a humble tone and began looking for a book that he had thought of while on his way here.

After fishing around for a while, he discovered something that matched his interests and pulled it out from the array of millions of others in that row. 'A Trove of Herbs', read the title of the book and the prince nodded to himself in satisfaction.

* * *

As he ascended on his usual chair to get started with his daily paperwork, he couldn't stop the uneasiness that settled into the pit of his stomach. The unexpectedly silent room was proving to be too discomforting to work in. And he knows the exact reason behind this silence. Or more accurately..the reason behind the silence of his chaperones. Nonetheless, he tried his best to ignore their rather pointed stares and continued to read a report from the general at the Western Fortress for the third time now.

And finally, as he had began adjusting in the uncomfortable atmosphere of his workplace, his sea green haired aide cleared his throat. The other one on the contrary, spoke-out her thoughts as curtly as ever. "You're late.."

"...again." She added a dramatic moment later to gain the desired solemn effect.

Unfortunately, it didn't daunt the second prince even the slightest and he began reading the report all over again.

"Zen!" Mitsuhide yelled in irritation, his arms crossed across his chest as he tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for an explanation from his master.

"I overslept." Zen answered with the same lie that he has been using since the past five days.

* * *

Mitsuhide Lowen has been working for Zen since the day his elder brother Izana introduced the two of them. He has to admit that it wasn't easy in the beginning because Zen enjoyed being a rebellious, little prince and Mitsuhide was the only one supposed to handle it. Well..he can't blame his master for his actions. Every man goes through that age of adolescence. He _did_ too but still..it wasn't easy to deal with the young prince at times since Mitsuhide himself was barely 17. Now how do you expect a seventeen year old knight to get along with a twelve year old prince? Heh..it was a tedious job but look how far they have come. Seven years have passed since then and in these years, they somehow managed to develop an unbreakable bond. And although, there are still a few things that Mitsuhide doesn't understand about his master, he can undoubtedly say that his master is a terrible liar.

"I overslept." said his master when asked about his late-arrival at work for the fifth time this week.

"You really expect us to believe that?" His partner Kiki Seiran spoke, her tone almost interrogative.

Well, both Mitsuhide and Kiki know exactly what took their master so long. They mustn't bother themselves with such an unnecessary discussion right from the start of their day and yet they are having one. It's not that they enjoy chiding their master, its just that they want to make him understand that his duties as a prince to this land are far more important than a mere lowly girl who was sent as a present to him.

A knock to the door interrupted their discussion and both the aides moved forward to attend the person at the other end of the door. To their utter dismay, it was their doom standing right in front them in the form of a stoic, blond, bearded-man. A man whom every single person in this castle fears more than death itself— Marques Haruka. He stared directly into their straight gazes, waiting for them to allow him entrance. But Mitsuhide and Kiki know exactly why this man is here. If there's one thing that their past experiences have taught them, then it's the fact that Lord Haruka never pays their master a visit for any casual chitchat. Most of his meetings begin with complains about how Zen must work harder than he already is and end with criticism about his achievements. And they are sure that their master is not even the slightest bit in the mood to hear any of those nitpicks.

Nonetheless, they decided to speak with their usual respectful greetings. "Good Morning, Lord Haruka." they greeted and bowed their heads in well-practiced unison.

The man simply nodded his head. "Would you step aside so I can have a word with the prince?" he asked.

"Authoritative as ever", Mitsuhide muttered under his breath so that only his partner could hear and Kiki _actually_ smiled slightly.

"I am sorry, Lord Haruka," this time Kiki spoke in a soft tone, "His Highness Zen is extremely busy at the moment."

"His work can wait." the Marques stated firmly and tried side-stepping Mitsuhide. Thankfully, Kiki blocked his path and she swears, the look that Haruka flashed her is one of the worst that she has ever received from him. He glared right into her eyes and harshly yanked her away by the shoulder.

"I do not take orders from a _woman_!" the last word was spat-out in such a venomous tone that for a moment Kiki lost her tough demeanour. Her partner on the other hand balled his fists so hard that he felt his nails digging into the skin of his palms. In this male-dominant society, Mitsuhide shares the same views as his master. He cannot stand men trying to overpower a woman, especially if that woman happens to be his partner. As he clenched and unclenched his fingers, he found it really hard to keep his anger at bay. Fortunately, Kiki placed her palm over his shoulder and he looked back at her, only to find her shaking her head in disapproval. Sighing heavily, he relaxed his stiff shoulders and turned his head back towards the Marques, who was now approaching his master.

"Your highn-"

"Lord Haruka.." Zen cut-in between the Marques' words and spoke in a tight tone, trying to channel his anger into the pen in his hand, "I _do not_ approve of your crude behaviour towards my second aide."

The blonde nobleman crossed his arms and looked down at the second prince. "I am not here to discuss about your interest in appointing women to work inside the castle, your highness."

The pen in Zen's hand cracked and he had to put it down before it actually broke. " _Then why are you here_?" he emphasised every single word.

The elder man didn't even flinch. He is used to earning such cold treatment from the young prince. "It's about your late arrivals for work."

In the background, both Mitsuhide and Kiki felt a spark in their master's usually calm and composed aura. And since any shake in his emotions is so uncommon that they slowly began stepping back, sweat trickling down their brows.

"You've been late to work for five days in a row. Mind explaining the reason behind this?"

Zen sighed exasperatedly. Ofcourse, if the man visiting him is Lord Haruka, then he is probably going to talk about the most absurd of all things and then try to turn them into a big problem. Other than his aides, this man is the only one who has ever scolded him for his slacking activities and his periodic escapades out of the castle. Seriously..today is going to be a _really_ long day..

* * *

Like every other day spent inside this castle, Shirayuki woke-up only after the maid attending to her personal duties walked in and gently shook her out of her slumber. It's unbelievable that even after she slapped the second prince, her master, right across his cheek, she has been given a maid who tends to the smallest of her requests. Well..she _is_ the one who didn't want to receive any kind of generosity from him and so, he has instead decided to accept her the way he is supposed to— as his concubine. And he has made no rules or restrictions about her activities. She is completely free to roam around the castle, provided she keep the maid at her side at all times. There is only one small condition that she must follow at all costs and it's a rather suspicious one too. The prince hasn't given her any quarters to stay and has instead ordered for her to sleep in his bedchambers. She isn't pleased by this arrangement but she is glad that atleast he doesn't disturb her. Truth be told, he hasn't uttered a single word to her ever since their heated conversation in that infirmary. And she can't help herself but wonder at times about his actions.

A snap of the fingers near her ear pulled her out of her land of thoughts and she shook slightly. When she found her maid staring worriedly at her, Shirayuki flashed her one of her polite smiles. "I'm alright, Sheila."

Her maid, Sheila, who happens to be a woman in her fifties, is a really good person. She listens to whatever Shirayuki has to say and also makes sure to keep her in a healthy state, as was requested by the prince. Back at the brothel, her three friends had told her that she will get to live a luxurious life inside the castle and indeed, their words have turned out to be true. Unlike her friends, she enjoys two square meals per day, gets appropriate amount of sleep and is kept entertained at all times by Sheila herself. There's no harm in this life and yet, Shirayuki is unable to accept it genuinely. A small, revolting part within her keeps reminding her about her aspirations to become a successful herbalist. Then, there are times that she feels guilty for being able to live like this when her friends at the brothel are still suffering. It's a pity that she earned this bright shade of red-hair for all that it has brought her is bad luck and uncalled for attention from the people in her surroundings. This hair is the reason for her getting dragged into this mess.

"You must take a bath." suggested Sheila in her motherly tone.

Nodding once, Shirayuki got up from the bed and just like every other day, found a book resting atop the bedside table. With unbidden excitement, she picked it up and read the title. 'A Trove of Herbs'. Turning her head, Shirayuki smiled at her maid, who was currently preparing her clothes for the day. The minute Prince Zen officially accepted her as his concubine, her body measurements were taken and a set of newly-sewn clothes for her was arranged in one side of the prince's closet. She is now practically sharing a room with the prince and he doesn't seem to mind her presence at all.

"I'll prepare the water." Sheila told and left towards the bath along with the clothes.

Shirayuki kept looking at the old woman who disappeared behind the door to the prince's personal bath and then looked back at the book in her hand. Sheila is an amazing person. The woman knows about Shirayuki's love for plants and every single day picks out a book for her. However, why she never actually admits to Shirayuki about the book, is an intriguing thought in itself.

Taking one last glance at the book, Shirayuki also headed towards the bath.

* * *

As she followed Sheila down the myriad of corridors inside this humongous castle, she tried ignoring all the unpleasant stares that both the nobles and the workers were giving her. She has no idea about what she has done to become the focus of their attention and so, she just lowered her face and kept following Sheila, the only person that she has come to trust so far in this country. Currently, they are walking towards the herb gardens to spend some time in the fresh atmosphere of the plants. And Shirayuki is glad that atleast somehow, she can still enjoy the things that she loves.

"We're here." Sheila announced in her crooked tone.

And just as Sheila had promised, a smile lit-up on the face of the young woman. There was glimmer in her usually dull emeralds and the old maid watched as Shirayuki literally bounced towards the array of flowering plants, the skirt of her light purple dress fluttering in the slowly flowing wind. Her long single-braid swayed from side-to-side as she stepped down the stairs and when she felt that no one was looking, she twirled once and began giggling. Although she is clueless about the prince's decision of keeping her around even after her rude behaviour, she can undoubtedly admit that she is enjoying her partial freedom to the brim.

Closing her eyes, she took in a long breath of the fresh air and as she reopened them, she spotted a familiar figure a few steps down from her. A young boy with black hair. He was busy examining the petals of the calendulas, a pen in his mouth and a notepad in his small palms. Shirayuki recalled him to be the one who had given her the lavender tea at the infirmary. She smacked her head when she realised that she has yet to thank him for taking care of her during those hours that she was in an unconscious state.

Nodding to herself, she took eights more steps down the stairs to reach the level of that boy and cleared her throat to gain his attention.

Startled by the sudden noise-disruption in his task, he turned to face her, his movements slightly fidgety.

When he gave no reaction after having seen her, Shirayuki is the one who chose to break the silence. "Hi! I'm Shirayuki. You treated me at-"

"I know.." the boy interrupted her, "I remember you."

"Oh!" Shirayuki bent her knees to be at eye-level with the boy as he was sitting on the stairway. "I just wanted to _thank_ you for taking care of me." She added with a smile.

The shade of the boy's cheeks turned dark pink within a fraction of a second and he took-off with his stuff after giving her a quick bow.

"Wait!" Shirayuki called. She isn't sure if the boy ran away because he was embarrassed or because he doesn't want to associate with the second prince's concubine. A reassuring pat on her shoulder made her look back and she saw Sheila smiling apologetically at her.

"From what I've come to learn from the other workers, that boy is a really shy person." Sheila explained.

Shirayuki blinked once as the information processed in her mind. "I see.." she nodded, her eyes now busy staring at the different kinds of herbs there. "Um..Sheila, would you mind if I talk to you about these plants?" she asked, eagerness barely concealed in those emeralds of her and before her brain could even begin to think on the matter, the old woman found herself nodding her head in agreement.

* * *

It was nine at night when Zen decided to call it a day and finally headed back towards his bedchambers. Upon entering through the double doors, he found his roommate..eh..hem, _concubine_ sitting cross-legged on his..eh..hem.. _their_ shared bed. It's funny how he has to correct himself every time now that he has actually accepted his present from the first prince of Tanbarun. Like the past five days that she has spent in his room, his concubine was busy reading the book he had picked-out earlier this morning for her. He smiled slightly. It's really pleasing to see her sitting comfily on the mattresses, completely engrossed in her book. Sometimes he wonders what her reaction will be if she ever finds out that he is the one who brings in these books for her. Well, he has a very strong belief that her most probable reaction will come in the form of another tirade of words about how much he has disappointed her and how much she has come to hate him. He grimaced inwardly at the thought. He has already suffered a lot today because of that unexpected conversation with Marques Haruka and he doesn't want to trouble his head any further by thinking about his messed-up relationship with a really nice, red-haired woman.

Locking the doors behind him, he removed his boots and tossed them uncaringly in god knows what direction. Next, he got rid of his shirts as fast as he possibly could and discarded them on the floor as well. Damn he is tired! If there's one thing that can help ease his muscles then it's a warm bath. Stretching his arms up, he released a long satisfactory noise as his joints made popping sounds. With his conscience half-lost in exhaustion, he headed towards the bath.

"Your highness," her voice called his attention, "You mustn't be so uncouth since you are a _prince_."

He stopped in his stride towards his bath and turned around. Rubbing his weary eyes, he blinked them twice before finally facing her to make sure that she is actually talking to _him_..that he isn't hallucinating any of this… And indeed, when he looked at her, he saw her collecting his negligently left shirts and boots from the floor. She placed his boots properly inside the shoebox and then marched ahead of him into the bath to dump his sweaty shirts in a basket.

Absolutely surprised by her actions, he mocked, "Is it just my imagination or did you actually speak those words to me?"

"Do not.." Shirayuki closed her mouth to keep herself from shouting at him yet again. She closed her eyes to take a breath and began again in a calmer tone, "Your Highness, I request you stop reminding me of the reasons I hate you."

He responded in an almost amused tone. _Almost_. Physically and mentally he is way too drained to even express his amusement. "So now you hate me, huh?"

"Yes!" she confirmed as she put his shirts in a basket full of his other dirty clothes. Some workers will wash it for him later on.

And just as she reached for the door, it was slammed shut by his hand. With wide eyes, she turned back only to find herself pinned against the door, his hands gripped tightly around her thin wrists, his body dangerously close to hers'. "Y-Your Highness?" she asked meekly but he didn't even budge. The darkness that she had felt in his aura when she had slapped him at the infirmary, was back.. His sapphires suddenly appeared to be darker than they actually are and she anxiously waited for his next move.

"You _may be_ angry for what I did..but you cannot possibly use it as an excuse to claim that you hate me." He was mad and yet his voice sounded threateningly lax.

Shirayuki knows that she mustn't react in any form..that this is nothing more than another man trying to dominate her but she felt herself losing.. Her senses began numbing as fear clouded her perception and tears started blurring her eyes. Prince Zen vanished and all that she could envision was a man pulling at her arm and groping her— her first experience of being sexually assaulted. That particular incident is etched in her memory and no matter how hard she tries, it scares her every time. The Prince's death-grip on her wrists triggered her emotions and unfortunately, that terrible memory resurfaced. She despises it..She despises it so much when men try to lay their hands on her skin..

The disgust made a tear roll down her cheek and Zen noticed it. Somehow, when he gazed into her frightful emeralds, his anger began receding and his eyes widened. Immediately, he released her wrists and stumbled back in horror. Curse him.. His problems are getting to him and to think that he tried to take his anger out on a completely innocent girl like her.

Passing a hand through his hair in frustration, he glanced at her scared form and averted his eyes. Unable to meet her gaze, he muttered hoarsely, "Just..just leave me alone.. I think it'll be better for the both of us if we don't communicate…"

Shirayuki didn't even waste a moment to escape the bath. Rushing back to the main room, she got under the warm comforter and closed her teary-eyes, sobs now leaving her quivering lips…

* * *

 **A/N: Another dramatic ending…XD**

 **Shirayuki has no idea that Zen is the one who gives up his sleep every morning just to secretly bring a book for her.**

 **We know that Shirayuki is kinda broken..but don't worry, more will be revealed about Zen's darkness in the coming chapters..:3**

 **Don't forget to leave a review! And don't forget to checkout: thezenyukiweek on tumblr if you feel like participating..:)**

 **Until Next Time…**

 **~Manika**


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